You must surrender whatever preconceptions you have about music if you're really interested in it.

- Cecil Taylor

Rhythm is the life of space of time danced through.

- Cecil Taylor

If you take the creation of music and the creation of your own life values as your overall goal, then living becomes a musical process.

- Cecil Taylor

I understand about the relative strengths of people, and I don't think people have to be anything. They can be nothin' if they want to be.

- Cecil Taylor

I discovered very early that it wasn't quite enough for me to imitate people.

- Cecil Taylor

The quality of life, values that go down to doin' that, that's the issue.

- Cecil Taylor

To me, the piano in itself is an orchestra.

- Cecil Taylor