Nat King Cole

“The people who know nothing about music are the ones always talking about it.”

“I may be helping to bring harmony between people through my music.”

“The sheriff is at the cash register, and if I don't get a hit soon, I don't know what I'll do.”

“I am an American citizen and feel I am entitled to the same rights as any other citizen.”

“You've got to change with the public's taste.”

“The only prejudice I've found anywhere in TV is in some advertising agencies, and there isn't so much prejudice as just fear.”

“I can't bear to see myself even in movies. The feeling is complex. I can't stand the sight of myself.”

“I'm not playing for other musicians. We're trying to reach the guy who works all day and wants to spend a buck at night. We'll keep him happy.”

“Critics don't buy records. They get 'em free.”

“I am famous because I am an African American jazz artist.”

“The whites come to applaud a Negro performer just like the colored do. When you've got the respect of white and colored, you can ease a lot of things.”

“Primarily I'm a meat man, although once in a while I toy with a few vegetables.”

“If I could read it, I could play it.”

“I'm an interpreter of stories. When I perform it's like sitting down at my piano and telling fairy stories.”

“The only sport I'm not interested in is horse racing. That's because I don't know the horses personally.”

“It's not the people in the South who create racial problems - it's the people who are governing.”

“There's just one thing I can't figure out. My income tax!”

“Only time, education and plenty of good schooling will make anti-segregation work.”

“I'm a musician at heart, I know I'm not really a singer. I couldn't compete with real singers. But I sing because the public buys it.”

“I often wonder whether Negroes like myself who are pretty well known help out at all in breaking down barriers.”