A great symphony is a man-made Mississippi down which we irresistibly flow from the instant of our leave-taking to a long forseen destination.

I adore extravagance but I abhor waste.

To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable.

You may be sitting in a room reading this book. Imagine one note struck upon the piano. Immediately that one note is enough to change the atmosphere of the room - proving that the sound element in music is a powerful and mysterious agent, which it would be foolish to deride or belittle.

Most people use music as a couch; they want to be pillowed on it, relaxed and consoled for the stress of daily living. But serious music was never meant to be soporific.

So long as the human spirit thrives on this planet, music in some living form will accompany and sustain it and give it expressive meaning.

The main thing is to be satisfied with your work yourself. It's useless to have an audience happy if you are not happy.