235 Quotes by John Cage

When you make music you are acting as a philosopher. You can either do that consciously or you can do it unconsciously, but you’re doing it.

Our intention is to affirm this life, not to bring order out of chaos, nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply to wake up to the very life we’re living, which is so excellent once one gets one’s mind and desires out of its way and lets it act of it’s own accord.

Begin anywhere.

All great art is a form of complaint.

You can feel an emotion; just don’t think that it’s so important.

We’re breaking all of the rules, even our own rules, and how do we do that? By leaving plenty of room for X quantities.

So somebody has talent? So what? Dime a dozen. And we’re overpopulated. Actually we have more food than we have people and more art. We’ve gotten to the point of burning food. When will we begin to burn our art?

Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you think.

For myself and my own experience now, I don’t really need any music. I have enough to listen to with just the sounds of the environment. I listen to the sounds of 6th avenue.