The seasons are what a symphony ought to be: four perfect movements in harmony with each other.

Even when I'm sick and depressed, I love life.

Of course there is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life, and what it brings

When I was young, I used to have successes with women because I was young. Now I have successes with women because I am old. Middle age was the hardest part.

Composing a concert is like composing a menu.... If you start with light pieces and play a 45-minute sonata after the interlude, it's like starting dinner with hors d'oeuvres and dessert and finishing with a Châteaubriand and vegetables.

Life is the game that must be played, this truth at least, good friends, we know; so live and laugh, nor be dismayed as one by one the phantoms go.

Don't tell me how talented you are. Tell me how hard you work.