Licks.. they're everywhere! But are they useful in helping you learn how to solo? They indeed are, but you have to know how to practice them. What you don't want to do is just memorize licks verbatim. You need to play many, many different versions of the lick by altering things like the rhythm, taking away notes, adding notes, etc. That's how you internalize it and integrate it into your soloing language. Not just by memorizing it note for note. And if you're serious about improving at jazz but