I was a crazy young man who let himself be blinded by his passions and obeyed only the impulses of the moment.

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.

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.

Fortunately, something always remains to be harvested. So let us not be idle.

An operetta is simply a small and gay opera.

The further the music develops, the more complex the apparatus used by the composer to express his thoughts becomes.