I came into the world very young, in an age that was very old.
When I was young, people used to say to me: Wait until you're fifty, you'll see. I am fifty. I haven't seen anything.
I am by far your superior, but my notorious modesty prevents me from saying so.
Opera is a musical scenery, a musical atmosphere in which the characters move and talk.
Before I compose a piece, I walk round it several times, accompanied by myself.
Experience is a form of paralysis.