Millions of years ago, in my previous incarnations, I must have been related to swans... because I can still feel that affinity.

Pay no attention to what the critics say; no statue has ever been erected to a critic.

Music begins where the possibilities of language end.

If we understood the world, we would realize that there is a logic of harmony underlying its manifold apparent dissonances.

All the doctors who wanted to forbid me to smoke and to drink are dead.

Music is, for me, like a beautiful mosaic which God has put together. He takes all the pieces in his hand, throws them into the world, and we have to recreate the picture from the pieces.

If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price. Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic.

Music is on a higher plane than everything else in this world.

Whereas most other modern composers are engaged in manufacturing cocktails of every hue and description, I offer the public cold spring water.

I often conduct an orchestra in my sleep; my orchestras are so huge that the back desks of the violas vanish into the horizon. And everything is so wonderful.

The framework of a symphony must be so strong that it forces you to follow it, regardless of the environment and circumstances.

I have to admit, insanity is so much fun.

There's no reward without work, no victory without effort, no battle won without risk.

A tree full of ripened fruits bows down naturally, because of the weight of the fruits and its willingness to make its fruits accessible to others.

You know, right often, the body is the best thing we’ve got going for us. A body itself is a shiny object. Something!

It's great to know that young black girls are seeing themselves on TV as leading ladies, and I'm part of that. It's just such an honor.

Nothing is more prominently brought forward in the New Testament than the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's what makes you a human being---that willingness to sing another one free.

There are assumptions made about the way you look. I'm always surprised when people don't think I'm smart.

The Commonwealth makes the world safe for diversity

If you are having fun on screen, it shows.