The song I'm proudest of is 'Call Me Irresponsible'—it contains five syllable words and I come from a one syllable neighborhood.

— Sammy Cahn

A word is only as good as the note it sits under, and I've been blessed with some great notes.

— Sammy Cahn

To answer the eternal question, which comes first—the words or the music? The Phonecall—the phone rings and someone hires you to write a song.

— Sammy Cahn

When we started we wrote for comics, jugglers, sword swallowers and strippers. If it moved, we wrote for it!

— Sammy Cahn

People ask if I need to be inspired to write a song. Since the fellow who hired us doesn’t need to be inspired to pay us, the question is academic—you write a song when you are required to write a song.

— Sammy Cahn

Of all the writers, Sammy's words fit my mouth the best.

— Frank Sinatra

Sammy Cahn is one of the few lyricists whose every line gave the melody added power, beauty and resonance. I’m not saying the tunes wouldn’t have made it without him but they wouldn’t have had the same emotional impact, wit and wisdom—sometimes happy, sometimes sad—that Sammy imparted to every song he graced.

— Sir Tim Rice

I'm a professional songwriter—personal attitudes have nothing to do with writing a song.

— Sammy Cahn

Sammy was generous with his talent, writing special lyrics to benefit endless worthy causes. Funny, touching, sometimes R rated! It was a special honor to be the target of his razor sharp and lightning quick wit. A delicious attack, his words like rubber bullets providing an edge to camouflage endless acts of kindness.

— Paul Williams