All roads for me lead back to Mozart. In his tragically short life, he breathed new life, fire and meaning into every form of music that existed in his time.

For too long, musicians have been the greatest enemy of music. Their lack of desire to proselytize is a kind of betrayal.

I hate playing the piano! And it's so hard to fight for Beethoven's soul! But that's what I have to do!

[As a conductor] there has to be, between me and the orchestra, an unshakable bond of trust, born out of mutual respect, through which we can spin a musical narrative that we all believe in.

Music is a lens through which to see who we are. Every phrase of every piece of music is trying to tell a story.

Often, little brother, there is no smoke without fire.

The single woman is a free woman, and being single does not mean being alone - it means being free to have a relationship or not. This can be scary, but it's also very interesting.

For some reason, we can't just enjoy somebody else's success. Somehow, that's going to affect us. If they have more, then I have less - and I don't know why.

The church is no more religion than the masonry of the aqueduct is the water that flows through it.

Even the most ordinary life is a mystery if you look close enough.

Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife

It's hard to imagine her ever having felt lost, but it's impossible to know the people your parents were before they were your parents.

Language is generated by the intellect and generates the intellect.

I think the arts are very important for children growing up.

Eating words has never given me indigestion.