Passion, whether violent or not, must never be expressed to the point of exciting disgust, and . . . music, even in the most terrible situations, must never offend the ear.

The two valets sit at the top of the table, but at least I have the honor of being placed above the cooks.

I cannot write in verse, for I am no poet. I cannot arrange the parts of speech with such art as to produce effects of light and shade, for I am no painter. Even by signs and gestures I cannot express my thoughts and feelings, for I am no dancer. But I can do so by means of sounds, for I am a musician.

I like to enjoy myself, but rest assured that I can be as serious as anyone else can.

The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between.

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

When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer - say traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep - it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best, and most abundantly. Whence and how they come, I know not, nor can I force them...

Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. 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.

Melody is the essence of music. I compare a good melodist to a fine racer, and counterpoints to hack post-horses.