I have nothing to say, and I am saying it, and that is poetry. - John Cage
Art is sort of an experimental station in which one tries out living - John Cage
I discovered that those who seldom dwell on their emotions know better than anyone else just what an emotion is. - John Cage
The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason. - John Cage
If you think something is boring, try doing it for two minutes. If you still think it's boring, try it for four. If you still think it's boring, try it for eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two, and so on and so forth. Soon enough you'll find that it's really not boring at all. - John Cage
If you develop an ear for sounds that are musical it is like developing an ego. You begin to refuse sounds that are not musical and that way cut yourself off from a good deal of experience. - John Cage
There is poetry as soon as we realize that we possess nothing. - John Cage
Value judgments are destructive to our proper business, which is curiosity and awareness. - John Cage
All great art is a form of complaint - John Cage
I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones. - John Cage