True originality has its foundations in the soul, not in the mind, and when there is an effort to create something different it is usually a failure. Beethoven or Schumann or Chopin did not try to be original. They were original.

The Pole listening to Chopin listens to the voice of his whole race.

I cannot imagine a genuinely happy home without music in it.

Music expresses first of all sadness rather than joy.

The mere fact of knowing that a great audience waits on your labor is enough to shake all your nerves to pieces.

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.

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