These matters require what I think of as the Shakespearean cast of thought. That is to say, a fine credulity about everything, kept in check by a lively skepticism about everything.... It keeps you constantly alert to every possibility.

The most original thing a writer can do is write like himself. It is also his most difficult task.

Nothing grows old-fashioned so fast as modernity.

A Librettist is a mere drudge in the world of opera.

This is the Great Theatre of Life. Admission is free, but the taxation is mortal. You come when you can, and leave when you must. The show is continuous. Goodnight.

To this day I am indulgent toward orchestras that are trying to lift themselves in the world, while critics are busy assuring them that they are not the Vienna Philharmonic and never will be.

Fiction is not photography, it's oil painting.