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" I don't view myself as a musician anymore - I view myself as a human being that functions as a musician when I'm functioning as a musician, but that's not 24 hours a day. That's really opened me up to even more perspectives because now I look at music, not from the standpoint of being a musician, but from the standpoint of being a human being. "

" One of the greatest experiences I ever had was listening to a conversation with Joni Mitchell and Wayne Shorter. Just to hear them talking, my mouth was open. They understand each other perfectly, and they make these leaps and jumps because they don't have to explain anything. "

Herbie Hancock

Conversation

Listening

Mouth

" I've always been interested in science. I used to take watches apart and clocks apart, and there's little screws, and a little this and that, and I found out if I dropped one of them, that thing ain't gonna work. "

" My first Grammy wasn't even in a jazz category, but of course I was really excited. 'Rockit' was the beginning of kind of a new era for the whole hip-hop movement. "

" I've been a religious, spiritual person for a long time. "

" Music is the tool to express life - and all that makes a difference. "

" Jazz has borrowed from other genres of music and also has lent itself to other genres of music. "

" Music is not the only reason that I practice Buddhism anymore because it has affected my whole life. "

" The thing that we possess, that machines don't, is the ability to exhibit wisdom. "

" We are eternally linked not just to each other but our environment. "

" Most people define themselves by what they do - 'I'm a musician.' Then one day it occurred to me that I'm only a musician when I'm playing music - or writing music, or talking about music. I don't do that 24 hours a day. I'm also a father, a son, a husband, a citizen - I mean, when I go to vote, I'm not thinking of myself as 'a musician.' "

" I am not fundamentally a musician, I am fundamentally a human being. "

Herbie Hancock

Being

Human Being

" While knowledge may provide useful point of reference, it cannot become a force to guide the future. "

" When I was in my early teens, I remember coming to the conclusion that your life never ends. "

" As a human being, I'm concerned about the world that I live in. So, I'm concerned about peace. I'm concerned about - about man's inhumanity to man. I'm concerned about the environment. "

" Being vulnerable is allowing yourself to trust. That's hard for a lot of people to do. They feel a lot more secure if they kind of put walls around themselves. Then they don't have to trust anybody but themselves. "

" I don't go around, the way many musicians do, with earbuds in my ear listening to my iPod all day and just sticking my head in the music all the time. "

" We need to move into a culture of peace. What I hope to promote is the idea that we all need each other and that the greatest happiness in life is not how much we have but how much we give. That's a wealth that's priceless. You can't buy compassion. "

" I started off with classical music, and I got into jazz when I was about 14 years old. And I've been playing jazz ever since. "

" You can practice to attain knowledge, but you can't practice to attain wisdom. "

" I think I was supposed to play jazz. "

" I got a chance to work with Miles Davis, and that changed everything for me, 'cause Miles really encouraged all his musicians to reach beyond what they know, go into unknown territory and explore. It's made a difference to me and the decisions that I've made over the years about how to approach a project in this music. "

Herbie Hancock

Work

Music

" I try stuff. I synthesize what's of value with some of the other things I have at my disposal. "

" You make different colors by combining those colors that already exist. "

" You would not exist if you did not have something to bring to the table of life. "

" I've had a life that has taken many interesting paths. I've learned a lot from mentors who were instrumental in shaping me, and I want to share what I've learned. "

" I try to practice with my life. "

" I think people have learned that Herbie Hancock can be defined as someone that you won't be able to figure out what he's going to do next. The sky is the limit as far as I'm concerned. "

" Music truly is the universal language. "

" The cool thing is that jazz is really a wonderful example of the great characteristics of Buddhism and great characteristics of the human spirit. Because in jazz we share, we listen to each other, we respect each other, we are creating in the moment. At our best, we're non-judgmental. "