Before jumping on to Ella Fitzgerald quotes let’s know about her. Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was an American jazz singer often referred to as the “First Lady of Song.” She was born in Newport News, Virginia and grew up in poverty in Yonkers, New York. Fitzgerald’s musical career began in 1934 when she won a talent contest at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.
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In the 1930s and 1940s, Fitzgerald worked with prominent jazz musicians such as Chick Webb and Duke Ellington, and recorded hits such as “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”
Throughout her career, Fitzgerald became known for her incredible vocal range, scat singing, and improvisation skills. She recorded over 200 albums and won 14 Grammy Awards, including one for Lifetime Achievement. Fitzgerald also broke down racial barriers in the entertainment industry and was a vocal advocate for civil rights.
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Fitzgerald continued to perform until shortly before her death in 1996 at the age of 79. She remains one of the most beloved and influential jazz singers of all time.
We explore the following collection of quotes and sayings by Ella Fitzgerald, gaining a deeper understanding of her unique perspective on life’s intricacies.
Famous Ella Fitzgerald Quotes
1. “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do.”
2. “It isn’t where you came from, its where you’re going that counts.”
3. “The only thing better than singing is more singing.”
4. “I know I’m no glamour girl, and it’s not easy for me to get up in front of a crowd of people. It used to bother me a lot, but now I’ve got it figured out that God gave me this talent to use, so I just stand there and sing.”
5. “I think I do better when I sing.”
6. “What everyone wants more than anything else is to be loved.”
7. “The fabulous places I’ve been, wonderful things that’ve happened, great people I’ve met ought to make a story.”
8. “Everybody wants to know about my style and how it came about. It’s no big secret. It’s the way I feel.”
9. “When I’m on stage I feel at home.”
10. “I don’t want to say the wrong thing, which I always do. I think I do better when I sing.”
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11. “I guess what everyone wants more than anything else is to be loved. And to know that you loved me for my singing is too much for me. Forgive me if I don’t have all the words. Maybe I can sing it and you’ll understand.”
12. “Listen to her voice, don’t look at her.”
13. “I stole everything I ever heard, but mostly I stole from the horns.”
14. “You take romance – I’ll take Jell-O.”
15. “I’m very shy, and I shy away from people. But the moment I hit the stage, it’s a different feeling I get nerve from somewhere; maybe it’s because it’s something I love to do.”
16. “I’ve had some wonderful love affairs and some that didn’t work out. I don’t want to dwell on that and I don’t want to put people down, but I think all the fabulous places I’ve been, the wonderful things that have happened for me, the great people I’ve met – that ought to make a story.”
17. “When we were at the Apollo, Holiday was a block away. I asked her for her autograph.”
18. “She is amazingly creative, bringing so much more to a song than just a singer. She is a first-class musician and the most gracious person in the world.”
19. “Coming through the years, and finding that I not only have just the fans of my day, but the young ones of today – that’s what it means, it means it was worth all of it.”
20. “Whatever she does to my songs, she always makes them sound better.”
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21. “Sometimes when we’re flying or in the hotel, I might run over songs, or in the bathroom.”
22. “She has been more famous, over a longer time span, than any other female singer.”
23. “Ella knows her way around her voice as very few people today. But there are times when she seems to be unaware there are things the human voice just doesn’t do. She does them.”
24. ‘Music is the universal language… it brings people closer together.”
25. “It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts.”
26. “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
27. “I have been rich, and I have been poor. Believe me baby, rich is better!”
28. “By smiling, I think I’ve made more friends than if I was the other way.”
29. “Forgive me if I don’t have all the words. Maybe I can sing it and you’ll understand.”
30. “Noticing the days hurrying by; When you’re in love, my how they fly!”
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31. “Some kids in Italy call me ‘Mama Jazz’; I thought that was so cute. As long as they don’t call me ‘Grandma Jazz’.”
32. “I never was cut out to step and strut out. Give me the simple life.”
33. “They refuse to look for new ideas and new outlets, so they fall by the wayside… I’m going to try to find out the new ideas before the others do.”
34. “You never know how a room feels, what a crowd is going to react to. You have to find out when you’re standing out there singing the first time.”
35. “I sang because I was too nervous to dance.”
36. “Some like the high road, I like the low road, free from the care and strife.”
37. “Now we’re not afraid when storm clouds gather… Cause we got the kind of love that’ll see us through.”
38. “Our love is as deep as the sea… Our love is as great as a love can be… And we can weather the great unknown… If we’re alone together.”
39. “Coming through the years, and finding that I not only have just the fans of my day but the young ones of today — that’s what it means, it means it was worth all of it.”
40. “Won’t you tell him please to put on some speed, follow my lead, oh how I need, someone to watch over me.”
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41. “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there’s love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
42. “It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts.”
43. “Into each life some rain must fall.”
44. “It isn’t where you come from, it’s where you’re going that counts.”
45. “Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
46. “Music is the universal language it brings people closer together.”
47. “I used to be very self-conscious. I used to wish I was pretty. My cousin Georgia always taught me that if you smile, people will like you. Sometimes people will say something you don’t like, and you get angry a bit, but you just smile. You let it go by, even if you really would like to choke ’em. By smiling, I think I’ve made more friends than if I was the other way.”