Beware of losing what isn't in your head. John Cage More Quotes by John Cage More Quotes From John Cage Not one sound fears the silence that extinguishes it. And no silence exists that is not pregnant with sound. John Cage pregnant silence sound Music is a means of rapid transportation. John Cage rapids music mean I am trying to check my habits of seeing, to counter them for the sake of greater freshness. I am trying to be unfamiliar with what I'm doing. John Cage habit sake trying Music is edifying, for from time to time it sets the soul in operation. John Cage operations music-is soul When I hear what we call music, it seems to me that someone is talking. And talking about his feelings, or about his ideas of relationships. But when I hear traffic, the sound of traffic - here on Sixth Avenue, for instance - I don’t have the feeling that anyone is talking. I have the feeling that sound is acting. And I love the activity of sound... I don’t need sound to talk to me. John Cage feelings talking ideas As far as consistency of thought goes, I prefer inconsistency. John Cage inconsistency consistency 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. John Cage philosopher acting can-do What right do I have to be in the woods, if the woods are not in me. John Cage woods nature ifs It is not futile to do what we do. We wake up with energy and we do something. And we make, of course, failures and we make mistakes, but we sometimes get glimpses of what we might do next. John Cage glimpse wake-up mistake Our business in living is to become fluent with the life we are living, and art can help this. John Cage fluent helping art It's useless to play lullabies for those who cannot sleep. John Cage useless play sleep When I went to the analyst for a kind of preliminary meeting, he said, 'I'll be able to fix you so that you'll write much more music than you do now.' I said, 'Good heavens! I already write too much, it seems to me.' That promise of his put me off. John Cage writing heaven promise With just one musician, you can really do an unlimited number of things on the inside of the piano, if you have at your disposal an exploded keyboard. John Cage piano musician numbers Paper should be edible, nutritious. Inks used for printing or writing should have delicious flavors. Magazines or newspapers read at breakfast should be eaten for lunch. Instead of throwing one's mail in the waste-basket, it should be saved for the dinner guests. John Cage lunch should-have writing Art is sort of an experimental station in which one tries out living. John Cage design trying art Our poetry now is the realization that we possess nothing. Anything therefore is a delight (since we do not posses it) and thus need not fear its loss. John Cage poetry loss needs An artist conscientiously moves in a direction which for some good reason he takes, putting one work in front of the other with the hope he'll arrive before death overtakes him. John Cage before-death art moving In that case I will devote my life to beating my head against that wall. John Cage wall cases A 'mistake' is beside the point, for once anything happens it authentically is. John Cage music happens mistake The world is teeming; anything can happen. John Cage anything-can-happen happens world
