Work is what you do for others, liebchen. Art is what you do for yourself.

By the time I get through writing a score, I know the book better than the book writer does, because I've examined every word, and questioned the book writer on every word.

I was watching him crawl, Back over the wall-! Then bang! Crash! And the lightning flash! And- well, that's another story, Never mind- Anyway.

Take a play that you like but you think is flawed, and see if you can improve it and turn it into a musical. [...] Then make up your own story.

You move just a finger, say the slightest word, something's bound to linger-be heard.

I started listening to classical music when I was in my early teens. Prior to that, I listened to pop records or band records.

After the Rodgers and Hammerstein revolution, songs became part of the story, as opposed to just entertainments in between comedy scenes.