Fate is a misplaced retreat. Many people rationalize an unexplained event as fate and shrug their shoulders when it occurs. But that is not what fate is. The world operates as a series of circles that are invisible, for they extend to the upper air. Fate is where these circles cut to earth. Since we cannot see them, do not know their content, and have no sense of their width, it is impossible to predict when these cuts will slice into our reality. When this happens, we call it fate. Fate is not a chance event but one that is inevitable, we are simply blind to its nature and time.

I was lucky that I met the right mentors and teachers at the right moment

It wasn't that I ever knew I'd be at the Met for 20 years, or 30 years, or 40 years, or anything like that

I have a big problem with conductors who gesture a lot.

My hunch is that probably men are doing more both outside the home and inside the home

I thought I'd write one book and the world would change overnight

And, over the last thirty years we have seen men's participation in both housework and childcare has increased and women's have stayed at about the same.