A soprano in Massenet's Don Quixote complained that she had missed her entry in the aria, "because Mr. Challiapin always dies too soon." "Madam, you must be profoundly in error," said Sir Thomas, "No operatic star has yet died half soon enough for me."

I have just been all round the world and have formed a very poor opinion of it.

The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought.

There are no woman composers, never have been and possibly never will be.

The trouble with women in an orchestra is that if they're attractive it will upset my players and if they're not it will upset me.

The sound of the harpsichord resembles that of a bird-cage played with toasting-forks.

At a rehearsal I let the orchestra play as they like. At the concert I make them play as I like.