Music has always been transnational; people pick up whatever interests them, and certainly a lot of classical music has absorbed influences from all over the world.

In a world plagued with commonplace tragedies, only one thing exists that truly has the power to save lives, and that is love.

Calamity shaped a life when, long ago, chance was so cruel.

Why does it take a man's attention to make me see anything good about myself?

The very places that we presume God not to be are the very places that are filled with His footprints and littered with His fingerprints.

I believe that the soul consists of its sufferings. For the soul that cures its own sufferings dies.

I am a man who perceives life in a certain way, a man who rejects things that defecate on humankind, who rejects anything that will not give people room for dissent.

All wish to know, but few the price will pay.

In a way, a certain amount of self-criticism is a good thing, because it keeps you humble. Realizing that no matter what success you've achieved, you can still make enemies makes you humble, too.

Why not look at Indonesia? It will be the third biggest country in the world in population in 25 years' time - after India and China.

Down to the present day the luminous image of democracy has often served as a pretext for the most undemocratic actions.