I also had a brother who was like me a musician and a composer. A man of great talent, far more gifted than I. He died very young... he killed himself in the prime of his life.

A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything.

In Bach, the vital cells of music are united as the world is in God.

I don't choose what I compose. It chooses me.

If you think you're boring your audience, go slower not faster.

That which draws us by its mystical force; what every created thing, even the very stones, feels with absolute certainty as the center of its being... is the force of love. Christians call this "eternal blessedness." It is a necessity of man for growth and joy.

Destiny smiles upon me but without making me the least bit happier.