Opera is everything rolled into one - music, theater, the dance, color and voices and theatrical illusions.

That's what it is that you rehearse - the making of music, not the playing of notes as abstractions.

If you approach an opera as though it were something that always went a certain way, that's what you get. I approach an opera as though I didn't know it.

The secret of living is to find people who will pay you money to do what YOU would pay to do if you had the money.

Once in a while, when everything is just right, there is a moment of magic. People can live on moments of magic.

Raving mad is quite easy. You just chew up the scenery or something. It's quiet mad that's hard.

Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.