The whole duty of a conductor is comprised in his ability to indicate the right tempo.

Whatever I thought right, to others seemed wrong; what I held to be bad, others approved of.

I am fond of them, of the inferior beings of the abyss, of those who are full of longing.

Richard Wagner, a musician who wrote music which is better than it sounds.

That even in its sharpest pangs of pain a dog can still caress its master we have learnt from the studies of vivisectors.

Human dignity begins to assert itself only at the point where man is distinguishable from the beast by pity for it.

Blessed be, the genius who never knew good fortune! Genius in itself already means so much; what meaning does luck still hold for him?