[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.

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!

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.

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

To be motivated to write a novel, I need to be unable not to write.

The truth is that personality inevitably bleeds into all forms of our intellectual life. We all extrapolate from our own lives in order to understand the world.

When truth is divided, errors multiply.

Authorship has never been with me a matter of choice. I have not done it for amusement, or for money, or for fame, or for any reason but because I could not help it.

You wanted to look at life for yourself - but you were not allowed; you were punished for your wish. You were ground in the very mill of the conventional.

Foster children are disproportionately victims of identity theft.

I'm no one's lap dog, you can't put me on a leash.

The call to adventure signifies that destiny has summoned the hero.

I think the first time I realized I was actually acting was during Felicity. Before that, I was just going along for the ride.

The aim of music is not to express feelings but to express music.