If the Almighty himself played the violin, the credits would still read 'Rubinstein, God, and Piatigorsky', in that order.

Practice like it means everything in the world to you. Perform like you don't give a damn.

No matter what side of the argument you are on, you always find people on your side that you wish were on the other.

If I don't practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it.

There is no top. There are always further heights to reach.

There is no such thing as perfection, there are only standards. And after you have set a standard you learn that it was not high enough. You want to surpass it.

I occasionally play works by contemporary composers and for two reasons. First to discourage the composer from writing any more and secondly to remind myself how much I appreciate Beethoven.

Criticism does not disturb me, for I am my own severest critic. Always in my playing I strive to surpass myself, and it is this constant struggle that makes music fascinating to me.

The discipline of practice every day is essential. When I skip a day, I notice a difference in my playing. After two days, the critics notice, and after three days, so does the audience.

Music has a lot in com­mon with math­e­mat­ics. But in music, two and two need not make four: they add up to what­ever you wish.

Just make it (his obituary): born in Russia, first lesson at 3, debut at 7, debut in America in 1917.

Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.

Now Sunny, don’t get mad, but …” Rayne begins, her voice trembling. I shoot her an angry glare. “But WHAT, Rayne?” “I, uh, think you’ve accidentally been turned into a vampire.

I'm watching you, big boy, my eyes say, but his are closed so it's an optical monologue.

My most famous show is the 'Kitchen Show.' More famous than any gallery show or museum show I curated.

Only after all the noise has spent itself do we begin to hear in the silence of our heart, the still, small, mighty voice of God.

Just let me go, we have to be able to criticize what we love, to say what we have to say 'cause if you're not trying to make something better, then as far as I can tell, you are just in the way.

Assume the best but hire paranoid people.

The hardest part of writing is not to get the ideas but to remember, why it is important to get them.

It was like hiking into a Hemingway story; everything was sepia-toned and bristling with subtext.

We must invest in tomorrow. And pay our teachers for teaching as we pay our coaches for coaching.