49 Quotes by Herbie Mann

The music we're playing now is based on my heritage, which is Russian, Romanian and Hungarian.

Being selfish to me means that you have to look out for yourself and you don't have to sacrifice.

When you get cancer, it's like really time to look at what your life was and is, and I decided that everything I've done so far is not as important as what I'm going to do now.

Being stubborn has helped, being selfish is not a bad thing.

But when I first got cancer, after the initial shock and the fear and paranoia and crying and all that goes with cancer - that word means to most people ultimate death - I decided to see what I could do to take that negative and use it in a positive way.

I had sat in one day in Central Park with Bonnie and Delaney, and Duane was playing with them, so I asked if he wanted to work on an album. You never had to say to him how to play the guitar.

I always say, if you keep your head in the sand, you don't know where the kick's coming from.

My ego is controlled enough that I don't have to be the focus.

Why do you have to retire at 65? Why can't you start at 70? You know, like wine. Why can't music be that way? My new band, we're playing stuff that's never been done before.