Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.

But it's peculiar, as soon as I am in the midst of nature and by myself, everything that is base and trivial vanishes without trace. On such days nothing scares me; and this helps me again and again.

The point is not to take the world's opinion as a guiding star but to go one's way in life and working unerringly, neither depressed by failure nor seduced by applause.

I am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way.

A full cup of wine at the right time is worth more than all the kingdoms of this earth!

It is a funny thing, but when I am making music, all the answers I seek for in life seem to be there, in the music. Or rather, I should say, when I am making music, there are no questions and no need for answers.

The impressions of the spriritual experiences gave my future life its form and content.