The genius is the man who has genuine and deep human relations with others, who does not cut himself off in the search for originality, but who realizes the value of artistic tradition.

When one is an artist, what else can he be?

Art is great only when it bears the stamp of the individual.

Musical expression is never primarily national, but is personal and individual rather. It is so deep, so profound, that it goes beyond and below nationality and gives voice to the most private feeling. In music there is never exact heredity. Each man is an individual.

Just as surely as every new language mastered opens up a new world, so knowledge of a Beethoven, a Chopin, or a Schumann opens up a new world in spiritual beauty and thought.

I established a certain standard of behavior, that, during my playing, there must be no talking.

When I miss a week in practice, my audience knows it. When I miss a day, I know it.