Quincy Quotes

The imagination of a eunuch dwells more and longer upon the material of love than that of man or woman ... supplying, so far as he can, by speculation, the place of pleasures he can no longer enjoy. ~ John Quincy Adams

We understand now, we've been made to understand, and to embrace the understanding that who we are is who we were. ~ John Quincy Adams

My husband's name is Christopher Morgan, and we met in Atlanta. My two children are Sebastian and Quincy. ~ Kim Fields

Not one ounce of my self worth depends on your acceptance of me. ~ Quincy Jones

Among the sentiments of most powerful operation upon the human heart, and most highly honorable to the human character, are those of veneration for our forefathers and of love for our posterity. ~ John Quincy Adams

Our religion was the religion of a Book. Man must be educated on Earth for Heaven. John Quincy Adams ~ Paul C. Nagel

My son is a hip-hop producer. ~ Quincy Jones

I appear, my fellow-citizens, in your presence and in that of Heaven to bind myself by the solemnities of religious obligation to the faithful performance of the duties allotted to me in the station to which I have been called. ~ John Quincy Adams

Did you know that seventy-five to eighty percent of juvenile offenders can't read at grade level?"
"Really?" This was news to me.
"Your world becomes a much smaller place if you can't read. You have far fewer options. It's not the only factor, but it's a big one. If they want to know how big to build a prison,
all they have to do is look at the illiteracy statistics."
"They knew I was coming."
"You or someone like you."
"You knew it too, all those years ago, back in Quincy. That's why you tried to help me. Because you knew I was coming here."
"Here or someplace like here. ~ Carolee Dean

I learned real early why God gave us two ears and one mouth, because you're supposed to listen twice as much as you talk. ~ Quincy Jones

Tie me, tease me, let your pleasure please me. Hurt me, love me, but please don't ever leave me ... ~ Pepper Winters

The manners of women are the surest criterion by which to determine whether a republican government is practicable in a nation or not. ~ John Quincy Adams

For thirty-six of the forty years between 1800 and 1840, either Jefferson or a self-described adherent of his served as president of the United States: James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, and Martin Van Buren.32 (John Quincy Adams, a one-term president, was the single exception.) ~ Jon Meacham

It has been my custom for many years to read the Bible in its entirety once a year ~ John Quincy Adams

I was the most subtle person in the world. ~ Quincy Jones

I told him it was law logic-an artificial system of reasoning, exclusively used in courts of justice, but good for nothing anywhere else. ~ John Quincy Adams

I'm the hip-hop Quincy Jones of today. ~ Wyclef Jean

The declaration that our People are hostile to a government made by themselves, for themselves, and conducted by themselves, is an insult. ~ John Quincy Adams

Idleness is sweet, and its consequences are cruel. ~ John Quincy Adams

Benny [Carter] opened the eyes of a lot of producers and studios, so that they could understand that you could go to blacks for other things outside of blues and barbecue. He's a total musician. He was the pioneer, he was the foundation. He made it possible for that doubt to be taken away. ~ Quincy Jones

We were in the heart of the ghetto in Chicago during the Depression, and every block - it was probably the biggest black ghetto in America - every block also is the spawning ground practically for every gangster, black and white, in America too. ~ Quincy Jones

When you're over the hill, that's when you pick up speed. ~ Quincy Jones

A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows is one of the earliest as well as the keenest dispositions discovered in the heart of man. ~ John Quincy Adams

To furnish the means of acquiring knowledge is ... the greatest benefit that can be conferred upon mankind. It prolongs life itself and enlarges the sphere of existence. ~ John Quincy Adams

Nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people. ~ John Quincy Adams

The barbarian chieftain, who defended his country against the Roman invasion, driven to the remotest extremity of Britain, and stimulating his followers to battle, by all that has power of persuasion upon the human heart, concludes his exhortation by an appeal to these irresistible feelings - Think of your forefathers and of your posterity. ~ John Quincy Adams

Death fixes forever the relation existing between the departed spirit and the survivors upon earth. ~ John Quincy Adams

I have made it a practice for several years to read the Bible through in the course of every year. I usually devote to this reading the first hour after I rise every morning. As, including the Apocrypha, it contains about fourteen hundred chapters, and as I meet with occasional interruptions, when this reading is for single days, and sometimes for weeks, or even months, suspended, my rule is to read five chapters every morning, which leaves an allowance of about one-forth of the time for such interruptions. ~ John Quincy Adams

I was fortunate enough to hook up with Quincy Jones and had a lot of success. But the music of the '80s really changed when the '90s hit. For me to chase that dream or career of music, I started a family, started on 'Melrose Place,' so it was something I didn't have the time or energy. ~ Jack Wagner

To believe that everyone is honest is folly, but to believe that no one is honest is worse. ~ John Quincy Adams

Hell, nobody knows where jazz is going to go. There may be a kid right now in Chitlin Switch, Georgia, who is going to come along and upset everybody. ~ Quincy Jones

Excellence isn't an act, it's a habit ~ Quincy Jones

Cherish your mistakes, and you won't keep making them over and over again. It's the same with heartbreaks and girls and everything else. Cherish them, and they'll put some wealth in you. ~ Quincy Jones

The gigantic intellect, the envious temper, the ravenous ambition and the rotten heart of Daniel Webster. ~ John Quincy Adams

I tell my kids and I tell proteges, always have humility when you create and grace when you succeed, because it's not about you. You are a terminal for a higher power. As soon as you accept that, you can do it forever. ~ Quincy Jones

To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so, is something worse. ~ John Quincy Adams

The four most miserable years of my life were my four years in the presidency. ~ John Quincy Adams

His face is livid, gaunt his whole body, his breath is green with gall; his tongue drips poison. ~ John Quincy Adams

Let's not get too full of ourselves. Let's leave space for God to come into the room. ~ Quincy Jones

Music was the one thing I could control. It was the one world that offered me freedom. When I played music, my nightmares ended. My family problems disappeared. I didnt have to search for answers. The answers lay no further than the bell of my trumpet and my scrawled, pencilled scores. Music made me full, strong, popular, self-reliant and cool. ~ Quincy Jones

John Quincy Adams resolved to the discipline of rejecting argument for argument's sake would he sees that a fellow cabinet member is trying to draw him in to debating proposals the president will already reject. ~ Paul C. Nagel

Then, you know, the other more-traditional role of the producer in, like, the kind of Quincy Jones sense is kind of part arranger. So you're coming up with, like, these - you hear these songs that are quite bare-bones, and you dream up what's the band doing? What's the rhythm section doing? What's the guitars, strings, pianos - that sort of thing. It's almost like a little toolbox. ~ Mark Ronson

Few rappers realize the genre sprang from West African griots through Delta slave songs to jazz poetry and the comedic trash talk of 'the dozens.' ~ Quincy Jones

However tiresome to others, the most indefatigable orator is never tedious to himself. The sound of his own voice never loses its harmony to his own ear; and among the delusions, which self-love is ever assiduous in attempting to pass upon virtue, he fancies himself to be sounding the sweetest tones ~ John Quincy Adams

The experience of all former ages had shown that of all human governments, democracy was the most unstable, fluctuating and short-lived. ~ John Quincy Adams

Special Agent Quincy had earned his stripes as one of the Bureau's finest profilers. ~ Lisa Gardner

America ... goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. ~ John Quincy Adams

Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air. ~ John Quincy Adams

I see the clouds which now rise thick and fast upon our horizon, the thunder rolls, and the lightenings play, and to that God who rides on the whirlwind and directs the storm I commit my country. ~ Josiah Quincy

May our country be always successful, but whether successful or otherwise, always right. ~ John Quincy Adams

Individual liberty is individual power. ~ John Quincy Adams

My brother died of cancer two years ago (1998), renal cell carcinoma. He was my only real brother and I didn't know what to do. I'd never been so desperate in my life. ~ Quincy Jones

Thank God, 50 years ago I learned that a great song, our entire business is all based on two things; a great song and a great story. Film, television, if you don't have that story, nothing else matters. You don't call anybody else or direct anybody. The same with a song. A great song can make the worst singer in the world a star. ~ Quincy Jones

When (an advocate) is not thoroughly acquainted with the real strength and weakness of his cause, he knows not where to choose the most impressive argument. When the mark is shrouded in obscurity, the only substitute for accuracy in the aim is in the multitude of the shafts. ~ John Quincy Adams

I got a scholarship to Seattle University and I was writing arrangements for singers and everybody. But the music course was too dry and I really wanted to get away from home. ~ Quincy Jones

Religion, charity, pure benevolence, and morals, mingled up with superstitious rites and ferocious cruelty, form in their combination institutions the most powerful and the most pernicious that have ever afflicted mankind. ~ John Quincy Adams

A stout heart, a clear conscience, and never despair. ~ John Quincy Adams

The public history of all countries, and all ages, is but a sort of mask, richly colored. The interior working of the machinery must be foul. ~ John Quincy Adams

It was messed up, because in 1947 my family moved to Seattle and I had to get up at 5:00 o'clock in the morning to catch the ferry back to Bremerton every morning because I was Boys Club president. ~ Quincy Jones

To preserve, to improve, and to perpetuate the sources and to direct in their most effective channels the streams which contribute to the public weal is the purpose for which Government was instituted. ~ John Quincy Adams

The great interests of an agricultural, commercial, and manufacturing nation are so linked in union together that no permanent cause of prosperity to one of them can operate without extending its influence to the others. All these interests are alike under the protecting power of the legislative authority, and the duties of the representative bodies are to conciliate them in harmony together. ~ John Quincy Adams

I never felt like I had a mother. ~ Quincy Jones

From the day of the Declaration, the people of the North American union, and of its constituent states, were associated bodies of civilized men and Christians, in a state of nature, but not of anarchy. ~ John Quincy Adams

Abraham Lincoln wasn't much of a dancer. "Miss Todd, I should like to dance with you in the worst way," he told his future wife. Miss Todd later said to a friend, "He certainly did."

"John Quincy Adams was a first-rate swimmer. Once when he was skinny-dipping in the Potomac River, a women reporter snatched his clothes and sat on them until he gave her an interview."

"(Andrew Johnson couldn't read until he was fourteen! He didn't learn to write until after he was married!) ~ Judith St. George

The law is an artificial human construct, quite arbitrary, and of absolutely no use anywhere else but in a court of law! ~ John Quincy Adams

If I don't have a mother, I'll let music be my mother. ~ Quincy Jones

I said, 'I don't like the way you look.'
Quincy stopped his work. He said, 'Are you talking to me, runt?'
I said, 'Yes, and I will say it again. I don't like the way you look and I don't like the way you are cutting up that turkey. I hope you go to jail. My lawyer will not help you. ~ Charles Portis

You can study orchestration, you can study harmony and theory and everything else, but melodies come straight from God. ~ Quincy Jones

Melody is king, and don't you ever forget it. Lyrics appear to be out front, but they're not; they're just an accompanying factor. If they're good, you're really in good shape. Lyrics are written to be rewritten. ~ Quincy Jones

In the past, dictionaries had been less scientific, and definitions often crudely brief. One example historians like to cite is the definition of 'mucus' in John Kersey's Dictionarium Anglo-Britannicum (1708) as 'snot or snivel'. Johnson, by contrast, defers to the authority of the medic John Quincy, and defines 'mucus' as 'that which flows from the papillary processes through the os cribriforme into the nostrils'. Kersey exemplifies the simplicity of the older dictionaries. He defines 'coffin' as 'a case for a dead body', 'penis' as 'a man's yard', 'eye' as 'the wonderful instrument of sight', ~ Henry Hitchings

The attainment of knowledge is the high and exclusive attribute of man, among the numberless myriads of animated beings, inhabitants of the terrestrial globe. On him alone is bestowed, by the bounty of the Creator of the universe, the power and the capacity of acquiring knowledge. Knowledge is the attribute of his nature which at once enables him to improve his condition upon earth, and to prepare him for the enjoyment of a happier existence hereafter. ~ John Quincy Adams

China's got a billion people and a hit record over there is a million records. You know that ain't right. ~ Quincy Jones

I tried to stay away from the Euro beats, and not go totally pop. Instead, I wanted to take the Quincy Jones approach. The record pays homage to the Stevie Wonders, the Michael Jacksons, the Sam Cookes. I wanted to put that classic essence of R&B and soul with the new age of music now. There's a lot of live instruments, and a lot less Auto-Tune. I really wanted to demonstrate my vocal ability, creating the vibe of me singing along with a band. ~ Chris Brown

I was in bed at my beach house, but could not sleep because of some fried chicken in the icebox that I felt entitled to. I waited till my wife dropped off, and tiptoed into the kitchen. I remembered looking at the clock. It was precisely four-fifteen. I'm quite certain of this, because our kitchen clock has not worked in twenty-one years and is always at that time. I also noticed that our dog, Judas, was acting funny. He was sanding up on his hind legs and singing, 'I Enjoy Being a Girl.' Suddenly the room turned bright orange. At first, I thought my wife had caught me eating between meals and set fire to the house. Then I looked out the window, where to my amazement I saw a gigantic cigar-shaped aircraft hovering just over the treetops in the yard and emitting an orange glow. I stood transfixed for what must have been several hours, though our clock still read four-fifteen, so it was difficult to tell. Finally, a large, mechanical claw extended from the aircraft and snatched the two pieces of chicken from my hand and quickly retreated. When I reported the incident to the Air Force, they told me that what I had seen was a flock of birds. When I protested, Colonel Quincy Bascomb personally promised that the Air Force would return the two pieces of chicken. To this day, I have only received one piece. ~ Woody Allen

I got in the school band and the school choir. It all hit me like a ton of bricks, everything just came out. I played percussion for a while, and stayed after school forever just tinkering around with different things, the clarinets and the violins. ~ Quincy Jones

I started imagining this whole different world. It was a society of musicians, a family I hoped I could belong to one day. ~ Quincy Jones

Every country can be defined through their food, their music and their language. That's the soul of a country. ~ Quincy Jones

I was raised in Chicago and I guess that was one of the special breeding grounds for gangsters of all colors. That was the Detroit of the gangster world. The car industry was thugs. ~ Quincy Jones

As the months passed, even the strident voices from the newspapers had begun to moderate, and the passion to put Preston's neck in a noose had become subdued. It was a relief to Adams that with the trial now scheduled for October, he had time to work with Josiah Quincy to prepare a case based on law and reason. And it meant he could spend time with his family and enjoy the wonderful peace of the farm. ~ Jeff Shaara

I didn't understand key signatures or anything, you know. I'd say silly things at the top of a trumpet part like, 'Note, when you play B naturals, make the B naturals a half step lower because they sound funny if they're B naturals.' And some guy said: 'Idiot, just put a flat on the third line and it's a key signature, you know?' ~ Quincy Jones

Seattle is like a global gumbo, a melting pot with all kinds of people - the rich, the poor, white people, some Chinese, Filipino, Jewish and black people - they're all here. ~ Quincy Jones

It is no slight testimonial, both to the merit and worth of Christianity, that in all ages since its promulgation the great mass of those who have risen to eminence by their profound wisdom and integrity have recognized and reverenced Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of the living God. ~ John Quincy Adams

Frank Sinatra took me to a whole new planet. I worked with him until he passed away in '98. He left me his ring. I never take it off. Now, when I go to Sicily, I don't need a passport. I just flash my ring. ~ Quincy Jones

There is such seduction in a library of good books that I cannot resist the temptation to luxuriate in reading. ~ John Quincy Adams

We stole a box of honey jars one time and went out in the woods and took care of the whole box. I don't think I touched honey again for 20 years. I never wanted to see honey again. ~ Quincy Jones

We are now told, indeed, by the learned doctors of the nullification school, that color operates as a forfeiture of the rights of human nature; that a dark skin turns a man into a chattel; that crispy hair transforms a human being into a four-footed beast. The master-priest informs you, that slavery is consecrated and sanctified by the Holy Scriptures and of the old and new Testament ... My countrymen! These are the tenants of the modern nullification school. Can you wonder that they shrink from the light of free discussion? That they skulk from the grasp of freedom and truth? ~ John Quincy Adams

From the experience of the past we derive instructive lessons for the future. ~ John Quincy Adams

Warren had a most unusual household. A recent widower with four children between the ages of two and eight, he was not only a leading patriot but also had one of the busiest medical practices in Boston. He had two apprentices living with him on Hanover Street, and he sometimes saw as many as twenty patients a day. His practice ran the gamut, from little boys with broken bones, like John Quincy Adams, to prostitutes on aptly named Damnation Alley, ~ Nathaniel Philbrick

I was reading a magazine when I was a little kid, probably about twelve years old, and an ad said that if you sell so many jars of Noxzema skin cream, we'll sell you a ukulele. So I went out and banged on doors in the snow in Quincy, Massachusetts, where I was raised, and I sold the skin cream. ~ Dick Dale

The inconsistency of the institution of domestic slavery with the principles of the Declaration of Independence was seen and lamented ... no insincerity or hypocrisy can be fairly laid to their charge. Never from their lips was heard one syllable of attempt to justify the institution of slavery. They universally considered it as a reproach fastened upon them by the unnatural step-mother country and they saw that before the principles of the Declaration of Independence slavery, in common with every other mode of oppression, was destined sooner or later to be banished from the earth. ~ John Quincy Adams

Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak, and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all His laws. ~ John Quincy Adams

My countenance in my old-age does injustice to my heart. John Quincy Adams ~ Paul C. Nagel

We got into all the trouble you could ever imagine. We figured that if the Jones boys and all the gangsters ran Chicago, we had our own territory now. All the stores, all the crime, we were in charge of everything, my stepbrother and my brother. ~ Quincy Jones

I'd been in love before - I was always in love. ~ Quincy Jones

The freedom of the press should be inviolate. ~ John Quincy Adams

There's nothing in the world worse than having an opportunity that you're not prepared for. Good luck usually follows the collision of opportunity and preparation - it's a result of that collision. You've got to be prepared. So, make your mistakes now and make them quickly. If you've made the mistakes, you know what to expect the next time. That's how you become valuable. ~ Quincy Jones

Roll, years of promise, rapidly roll round, till not a slave shall on this earth be found. ~ John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams, denying his sons permission to come home for college holidays for under-performance: "I would feel nothing but sorrow and shame at your presence. ~ Paul C. Nagel

I was rapping in 1939. It's old. The roots are complex. And kids don't know. ~ Quincy Jones

Quincy and Jake seem to be content to spend an enormous amount of time along together, which I count as romantic, but might simply be because they don't have a child: the Blues versus the world. ~ Sally Koslow