It is extraordinary to have time to again study Le nozze di Figaro and discover new things.

A conductor should guide rather than command.

Music does not know the difference between people; it only speaks to their hearts. It is the only form of communication that can bring this terrible world together.

The conductor's stand is not a continent of power, but rather an island of solitude.

Nobility of spirit has more to do with simplicity than ostentation, wisdom rather than wealth, commitment rather than ambition.

I'm not shy in the spotlight. I might seem austere and even arrogant, but far from it, I'm actually shy.

You have to be able to enthral and persuade at the same time.

You have to channel the interpretation and performance into 100 people. And with the audience, the critics.

Soccer and sports are entertainment ... You can't call Beethoven's 9th Symphony or a work of Shakespeare 'entertainment.' It's not 'entertainment.' It's culture.

Gin and whisky cost so much more. Oblivion and courage could no longer be purchased for the price of an old song.

It's like athletes: To be a great company you need great competitors...It's what keeps you alive and keeps you honest.

The first forms of writing emerged not for art, literature, or love, not for spiritual or liturgical purposes, but for business--all literature could be said to originate from sales receipts (sorry).

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.

A leech that will not quit the skin until sated with blood.

Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.

The less power a man has, the more he likes to use it.

When adversities flow, then love ebbs; but friendship standeth stiffly in storms.

I had the habit of not accepting prizes or honors, but always, not out of humility, but because I don't like them. Maybe it's a little crazy, but it's good to have it, but I just don't like them.

I could live in the woods with thee in sight, Where never should human foot intrude: Or with thee find light in the darkest night, And a social crowd in solitude.