Herbie Hancock Quotes

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Herbie Hancock

Profession : Musician

Birth : April 12, 1940

Without wisdom, the future has no meaning, no valuable purpose.

Herbie Hancock

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

Herbie Hancock

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

Herbie Hancock

Back in the day for me was a great time in my life - I was in my 20s. Most people refer to their experiences in their twenties as being a highlight in their life. It's a period of time where you often develop your own way, your own sound, your own identity, and that happened with me, when I was with a great teacher - Miles Davis.

Herbie Hancock

Music happens to be an art form that transcends language.

Herbie Hancock

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

Herbie Hancock

When I was six, my best friend's parents bought him a piano. My mother noticed that every time I would go to his house, the first thing I would say to him was 'Levester' - His name was Levester - I said, 'Levester, can I go play your piano?' So, on my 7th birthday, my parents bought me a piano.

Herbie Hancock

One of the most important functions of jazz has been to encourage a hope for freedom, for people living in situations of intolerance or struggle.

Herbie Hancock

One thing that sticks in my mind is that jazz means freedom and openness. It's a music that, although it developed out of the African American experience, speaks more about the human experience than the experience of a particular people.

Herbie Hancock

I'm not special, no more special than anybody else.

Herbie Hancock

Take whatever happens and try to make it work.

Herbie Hancock

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.

Herbie Hancock

My father was really good with math. It's a funny thing, I don't remember my father or my mother being so mechanical-minded. My father always wanted to be a doctor, but he came from a really poor family in Georgia, and there was no way he was going to be a doctor.

Herbie Hancock

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

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

Herbie Hancock

Buddhism has turned me on to my humanness, and is challenging my humanness so that I can become more human.

Herbie Hancock

I think risk-taking is a great adventure. And life should be full of adventures.

Herbie Hancock

I've never really been interested in doing a solo piano tour.

Herbie Hancock

I like to present something that the people haven't seen or haven't heard before. Otherwise they might as well just stay home and play the record.

Herbie Hancock

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.

Herbie Hancock