The world is a king, and like a king, desires flattery in return for favor; but true art is selfish and perverse — it will not submit to the mold of flattery.
Ludwig van BeethovenOh continue to love me, never misjudge the most faithful heart of your beloved. Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours.
Ludwig van BeethovenYet it was impossible for me to say to people, 'Speak louder, shout, for I am deaf.' Ah, how could I possibly admit an infirmity in the one sense which ought to be more perfect in me than others, a sense which I once possessed in the highest perfection, a perfection such as few in my profession enjoy or ever have enjoyed.
Ludwig van Beethoven