The aesthetic principle is the same in every art, only the material differs.

If we were all determined to play the first violin we should never have an ensemble. therefore, respect every musician in his proper place.

The principal mark of genius is not perfection, but originality.

To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist.

Talent works, genius creates.

When you play, never mind who listens to you.

For me, music is always the language which permits one to converse with the Beyond.

Play always as if in the presence of a master.

I am so fresh in soul and spirit that life gushes and bubbles around me in a thousand springs.

When you play, do not trouble yourself as to who is listening. Yet always play as though a master listened to you.

In order to compose, all you need to do is remember a tune that nobody else has thought of.

In this age, you must be relentlessly remarkable to stay relevant, if not you will be relegated.

You can put a public school and university in the middle of every block of every city in America—but you will never keep America from rotting morally by mere intellectual education.

When a man's stomach is full it makes no difference whether he is rich or poor.

Every law is an infraction of liberty.

A letter is the portrait of the soul.

I'm attracted to playing things that I find difficult, just because it's a journey that is much more interesting.

Look at the sparrows; they do not know what they will do in the next moment. Let us literally live from moment to moment.

If you must reread old love letters, better pick a room without mirrors.

To a large degree, those early lean days were self-imposed.

To me, the 90's signaled the end of glam rock, the beginning of gangsta rap, and hopefully the beginning and end of boy bands.