Zen Guitar Quotes

“My own thing is in my head. I hear sounds and if I don’t get them together nobody else will. —Jimi Hendrix”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

“If I can get out of the way, if I can be pure enough, if I can be selfless enough, and if I can be generous and loving and caring enough to abandon what I have and my own preconceived, silly notions of what I think I am—and become truly who in fact I am, which is really just another child of God—then the music can really use me. And therein lies my fulfillment. That’s when the music starts to happen. —John McLaughlin”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

“So many different formulas can work that there’s no real formula. What’s important is to learn from whomever or whatever you can, at your own rate, in your own way. How or when you learn doesn’t matter, so long as the learning occurs.”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

“At bottom, it is the sound of the divine spark within us all. Like the cry of a child or the howl of a wolf, it transcends language and culture.”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

“The guitar has shown us again and again: Three chords can rock the world.”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

“Katsu is the roar of a person who knows what it means to be alive.”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

“Play the truth and it will remain the truth for listeners to discover when they are ready.”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

“If you pick up a guitar and it says, “Take me, I’m yours,” then that’s the one for you. —Frank Zappa”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

“There are musicians who, in the name of artistic freedom, espouse violence, racial hatred, and sexism, then disavow the ripple effects of their actions. Many more exploit the media to gain fame, yet refuse to accept that they serve as role models for young people. This is not the Way of Zen Guitar.”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

“Some people have a great sense of moral responsibility; unfortunately, it’s backed up with a poor sense of musical taste. Other people have great musical ability, and very little sense of moral responsibility. It’s very difficult to have a good balance. —Eric Clapton”
― Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar