"Don't wish for someone else to do later what you can do now"
About this Quote
Marsalis is talking like a bandleader who’s tired of waiting for the rhythm section to stop chatting and count it off. "Don't wish" is a quiet rebuke: the problem isn’t laziness, it’s the sentimental fantasy that time will somehow deliver discipline. In a music culture that mythologizes genius and inspiration, he’s arguing for the unglamorous engine of craft: show up, practice, decide, repeat.
The line also carries the social subtext of collaboration. Jazz is collective by design, but it punishes passive dependency. Wishing someone else will handle it later is a way of outsourcing responsibility while keeping your self-image intact. Marsalis cuts through that with a musician’s pragmatism: the future is not a rehearsal room you can book indefinitely. If there’s an email to send, an apology to make, a chart to learn, a hard conversation with the band, it won’t get easier because the calendar advanced.
Context matters here. Marsalis has spent decades defending standards, technique, and tradition against the romantic idea that authenticity comes from raw impulse. His whole public persona is a counterweight to "vibes" as a life strategy. Read that way, the quote isn’t self-help; it’s an aesthetic ethic. It insists that freedom is earned through preparation, that the present tense is where your sound is made, and that waiting is often just fear wearing a polite mask.
The line also carries the social subtext of collaboration. Jazz is collective by design, but it punishes passive dependency. Wishing someone else will handle it later is a way of outsourcing responsibility while keeping your self-image intact. Marsalis cuts through that with a musician’s pragmatism: the future is not a rehearsal room you can book indefinitely. If there’s an email to send, an apology to make, a chart to learn, a hard conversation with the band, it won’t get easier because the calendar advanced.
Context matters here. Marsalis has spent decades defending standards, technique, and tradition against the romantic idea that authenticity comes from raw impulse. His whole public persona is a counterweight to "vibes" as a life strategy. Read that way, the quote isn’t self-help; it’s an aesthetic ethic. It insists that freedom is earned through preparation, that the present tense is where your sound is made, and that waiting is often just fear wearing a polite mask.
Quote Details
| Topic | Self-Discipline |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Marsalis, Wynton. (2026, January 14). Don't wish for someone else to do later what you can do now. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/dont-wish-for-someone-else-to-do-later-what-you-103523/
Chicago Style
Marsalis, Wynton. "Don't wish for someone else to do later what you can do now." FixQuotes. January 14, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/dont-wish-for-someone-else-to-do-later-what-you-103523/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Don't wish for someone else to do later what you can do now." FixQuotes, 14 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/dont-wish-for-someone-else-to-do-later-what-you-103523/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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