Louis Armstrong, the iconic jazz musician, left an unforgettable mark on the world with his music and his words. Known for his gravelly voice and incredible trumpet playing, Armstrong’s impact extended far beyond the realm of jazz.
His quotes reflect his energetic personality, his profound love for music, and his optimistic viewpoint on life.
Whether he was conversing about the pleasure of performing, the beauty of love, or the significance of happiness, Armstrong’s words continue to inspire and resonate with people around the world.
Top 10 Louis Armstrong Quotes
“What we play is life.” – Louis Armstrong
“Music is life itself.” – Louis Armstrong
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” – Louis Armstrong
“There are some people that if they don’t know, you can’t tell them.” – Louis Armstrong
“All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song.” – Louis Armstrong
“Man, if you have to ask what it [jazz] is, you’ll never know.” – Louis Armstrong
“The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician.” – Louis Armstrong
“We all do ‘do, re, mi,’ but you have got to find the other notes yourself.” – Louis Armstrong
“My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.” – Louis Armstrong
“Never play anything the same way twice.” – Louis Armstrong
Also Read: Morgan Wallen Quotes (with Commentary)
Inspirational Louis Armstrong Quotes
“To jazz, or not to jazz, there is no question!” – Louis Armstrong
“You blows who you is.” – Louis Armstrong
“There are some people if they don’t know, you can’t tell ’em.” – Louis Armstrong
“Seems to me it ain’t the world that’s so bad but what we’re doin’ to it, and all I’m saying is: see what a wonderful world It would be if only we’d give it a chance.” – Louis Armstrong
“Each day you live, you’ve got to blow it out loud.”*_ – Louis Armstrong
“Life is a lot like jazz… it’s best when you improvise.” – Louis Armstrong
“It really puzzles me to see marijuana connected with narcotics… dope and all that crap. It’s a thousand times better than whiskey – it’s an assistant – a friend.” – Louis Armstrong
“I never want to be anything more than I am; what I don’t have, I don’t need.” – Louis Armstrong
“The only time I feel really alive is when I’m playing my horn.” – Louis Armstrong
“I think jazz is a wonderful learning tool.” – Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong Quotes on Music
“Music is life itself. What would this world be without good music? No matter what kind it is.” – Louis Armstrong
“All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song.” – Louis Armstrong
“There is two kinds of music, the good, and the bad. I play the good kind.” – Louis Armstrong
“Musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music in them.” – Louis Armstrong
“My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.” – Louis Armstrong
“If I don’t practice for a day, I know it; if I don’t practice for two days, the critics know it; and if I don’t practice for three days, the public knows it.” – Louis Armstrong
“We all do ‘do, re, mi,’ but you have got to find the other notes yourself.” – Louis Armstrong
“You can’t play anything on a horn that Louis Armstrong hasn’t played.” – Miles Davis
“Music is when you hear more than what is being played.” – Louis Armstrong
“I think I had music in my blood from the day I was born.” – Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong Quotes on Jazz
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” – Louis Armstrong
“Man, if you have to ask what it [jazz] is, you’ll never know.” – Louis Armstrong
“Jazz is played from the heart. You can even live by it. Always love it.” – Louis Armstrong
“Real music is heart music, not head music. That’s the kind of music I play.” – Louis Armstrong
“What we play is life. Life and all its pleasures, its trials and its sorrows.” – Louis Armstrong
“The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician.” – Louis Armstrong
“Jazz is what I play for a living.” – Louis Armstrong
“Through playing with cats like Charlie Parker… I learned that everybody’s got their own soul, and they can bop.” – Louis Armstrong
“Hot can be cool, and cool can be hot, and each can be both. But hot or cool, man, jazz is jazz.” – Louis Armstrong
“Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine—I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans… It has given me something to live for.” – Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong Quotes on Life
“What we play is life.” – Louis Armstrong
“Seems to me it ain’t the world that’s so bad but what we’re doin’ to it.” – Louis Armstrong
“We all do ‘do, re, mi,’ but you have got to find the other notes yourself.” – Louis Armstrong
“Each day you live, you’ve got to blow it out loud.” – Louis Armstrong
“Life is a lot like jazz… it’s best when you improvise.” – Louis Armstrong
“If I don’t practice for a day, I know it; if I don’t practice for two days, the critics know it; and if I don’t practice for three days, the public knows it.” – Louis Armstrong
“You blows who you is.” – Louis Armstrong
“I never want to be anything more than I am; what I don’t have, I don’t need.” – Louis Armstrong
“Never play anything the same way twice.” – Louis Armstrong
“The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician.” – Louis Armstrong
Funny Louis Armstrong Quotes
“All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song.” – Louis Armstrong
“There are some people that if they don’t know, you can’t tell them.” – Louis Armstrong
“I’m playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.” – Louis Armstrong
“My only sin is the gin.” – Louis Armstrong
“We all have our likes and our dislikes. But when it comes to a cauliflower, man, that’s where I draw the line.” – Louis Armstrong
“I don’t need words – it’s all in the phrasing.” – Louis Armstrong
“I never did like clarinet much. It’s got a hole in the bottom and all the music runs out.” – Louis Armstrong
“Man, all music is folk music. You ain’t never heard no horse sing a song, have you?” – Louis Armstrong
“I get ideas about what’s essential when packing my suitcase.” – Louis Armstrong
“It really puzzles me to see marijuana connected with narcotics… dope and all that crap. It’s a thousand times better than whiskey.” – Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong Quotes on Happiness
“What we play is life. Just be good humans and the music will sound much better.” – Louis Armstrong
“There’s two kinds of music, the blues and zippity doo dah.” – Louis Armstrong
“The music is in my blood and I must let it out. That’s what makes me happy.” – Louis Armstrong
“If you have to ask what happiness is, you’ll never know.” – Louis Armstrong
“My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn… that’s where my joy comes from.” – Louis Armstrong
“Seems to me it ain’t the world that’s so bad but what we’re doin’ to it. And all I’m saying is: see what a wonderful world It would be if only we’d give it a chance.” – Louis Armstrong
“As long as we make music, as long as we have something to say in song, we’ll be alright.” – Louis Armstrong
“Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine—I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans… It has given me something to live for.” – Louis Armstrong
“Happiness? That’s nothing more than good health and a bad memory.” – Louis Armstrong
“You got to be good to your soul when you’re down low.” – Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong Quotes on Love
“We all have to have something to hold on to, even if it’s our own trouble.” – Louis Armstrong
“Love is when you like something as much as your motorbike.” – Louis Armstrong
“If you have to ask what love is, you ain’t never gonna get married.” – Louis Armstrong
“Musicians don’t retire; they stop when they no longer have love for the music. It’s the same with love.” – Louis Armstrong
“Man, if love isn’t the source of happiness, then I don’t know what is.” – Louis Armstrong
“You can’t explain love. You feel it in your heart. I feel it in my horn.” – Louis Armstrong
“Love is like jazz. It’s too complicated to explain, but too beautiful to ignore.” – Louis Armstrong
“To jazz, or not to jazz, there is no question. Just like with love.” – Louis Armstrong
“All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” – Louis Armstrong
“A kiss to build a dream on is better than any reality you could have without love.” – Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong Quotes on Performance
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know. It’s got to be something that you just feel.” – Louis Armstrong
“The way to play is to play; and to play, you got to be playing.” – Louis Armstrong
“Man, all music is folk music. You ain’t never heard no horse sing a song, have you?” – Louis Armstrong
“My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.” – Louis Armstrong
“To jazz, or not to jazz, there is no question!” – Louis Armstrong
“Every time I close my eyes blowing that trumpet of mine—I look right in the heart of good old New Orleans. It has given me something to live for.” – Louis Armstrong
“Never play a thing the same way twice.” – Louis Armstrong
“When I pick up that horn, that’s all. The world’s behind me, and I don’t concentrate on nothing but that horn.” – Louis Armstrong
“I never tried to prove nothing, just always wanted to give a good show.” – Louis Armstrong
“You blows who you is.” – Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong Quotes on Creativity
“Music is life itself. What would this world be without good music? No matter what kind it is.” – Louis Armstrong
“We all do ‘do, re, mi,’ but you have got to find the other notes yourself.” – Louis Armstrong
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” – Louis Armstrong
“The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician.” – Louis Armstrong
“To jazz, or not to jazz, there is no question!” – Louis Armstrong
“You can’t play anything on a horn that Louis Armstrong hasn’t played.” – Miles Davis
“Hot can be cool, and cool can be hot, and each can be both. But hot or cool, man, jazz is jazz.” – Louis Armstrong
“The only thing better than singing is more singing.” – Louis Armstrong
“What we play is life.” – Louis Armstrong
“Life is like a trumpet – if you don’t put anything into it, you don’t get anything out of it.” – Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong Quotes on Success
“There is two kinds of music, the good, and the bad. I play the good kind.” – Louis Armstrong
“What we play is life.” – Louis Armstrong
“Never play a thing the same way twice.” – Louis Armstrong
“If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” – Louis Armstrong
“To jazz, or not to jazz, there is no question!” – Louis Armstrong
“The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician.” – Louis Armstrong
“We all do ‘do, re, mi,’ but you have got to find the other notes yourself.” – Louis Armstrong
“Music is life itself. What would this world be without good music? No matter what kind it is.” – Louis Armstrong
“My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.” – Louis Armstrong
“The way to play is to play; and to play, you got to be playing.” – Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong Quotes on Friendship
“Friends are like a beautiful garden. You have to water them, take care of them, and nurture them.” – Louis Armstrong
“Friendship is something that grows over time. It’s a wonderful thing to have.” – Louis Armstrong
“Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.” – Louis Armstrong
“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Louis Armstrong
“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.” – Louis Armstrong
“The only thing better than singing is more singing with friends.” – Louis Armstrong
“Friends are the family you choose.” – Louis Armstrong
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'” – Louis Armstrong
“No friendship is an accident.” – Louis Armstrong
“Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.” – Louis Armstrong
Also Read: Naughty Quotes (with Commentary)
Final Thoughts
Louis Armstrong’s quotes offer a peek into the heart and mind of one of the most influential performers of all time.
His reflections on music, life, and love are loaded with wisdom and joy, reminding you of the power of positivity and passion.
As you reexamine his words, you are reminded of the timeless influence of his legacy, not only through his music but via the lasting wisdom he shared.