...the player who looks least engaged may be the most committed member of the group. A cynic, after all, is a passionate person who does not want to be disappointed again.

The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful.

I have a definition of success. For me it's very simple. It's not about wealth and fame and power. It's about how many shining eyes I have around me.

Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why.

When you make a mistake, throw your hands in the air and say "How fascinating!"

In the measurement world, we set a goal and strive to achieve it. In the universe of possibility, we set the context and let life unfold.

I'm so sorry for you; your lives have been so easy. You can't play great music unless your heart's been broken.

The major difference between the 'best' and the 'average' is that the 'best' get as much pleasure from practice as performance.

The job of the leader is to speak to the possibility.

It's not a question of how much power you can hoard for yourself, but how much you can give away.

Look at their eyes. If their eyes are shining, you know you're doing it.

If you don’t deal with the past, the past deals with you.

For people who are really talented, what you don't say becomes extremely important. You have to judge what to say and what to leave alone so you can let the talent develop.

I will beg, will take to my knees, will listen to snow stroking air, a sky of gasps, will open my mouth, swallow, somewhere else the sky is falling, somewhere else it gets back up.

What if we found ourselves building something that nobody wanted? In that case what did it matter if we did it on time and on budget?

Fortunately, any kind of setback has represented a challenge to do better, rather than an acceptance of inferiority on my part.

Optimism is the first cousin of love, and it's exactly like love in three ways: it's pushy, it has no real sense of humour, and it turns up where you least expect it.

Know what the Taliban leaders like to do for fun? Just sit around and get bombed.

I want to know one thing: The way to Heaven. How to land safe on that happy shore.

"Weenie" was definitely a word we used at Yale back then. But I'm not sure you were one, Larry [Kramer]. Also, you were going by a different name.

Cities are platforms for sharing.