God first, then papa.

Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.

To talk well and eloquently is a very great art, but that an equally great one is to know the right moment to stop.

I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings.

As death, when we come to consider it closely, is the true goal of our existence . . .

I love it when an aria fits a singer as perfectly as a suit of well-tailored clothes.

I am never happier than when I have something to compose, for that, after all, is my sole delight and passion