I think people become consumed with selling a book when they need to be consumed with writing it.

Art stands on the shoulders of craft, which means that to get to the art, you must master the craft.

He believed that life, true life, was something that was stored in music. True life was kept safe in the lines of Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin while you went out in the world and met the obligations required of you. Certainly he knew (though did not completely understand) that opera wasn't for everyone, but for everyone he hoped there was something. The records he cherished, the rare opportunities to see a live performance, those were the marks by which he gauged his ability to love.

Reading fiction is important. It is a vital means of imagining a life other than our own, which in turn makes us more empathetic beings.

You should not have assault rifles in your home.

Love is a rebellious bird that no one can tame

If what a person wants is his life, he tends to be quiet about wanting anything else. Once the life begins to seem secure, one feels the freedom to complain.