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.

If I weren't the way I am, I shouldn't write my symphonies.

Never let oneself be guided by the opinion of one's contemporaries. Continue steadfastly on one's way.

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.

In its beginnings, music was merely chamber music, meant to be listened to in a small space by a small audience.

With the coming of spring, I am calm again.