Everybody who plays me plays me so hard because they always want to beat me.
I do not think a day passes in my life in which I fail to look with fresh amazement at the miracle of nature.
The love of one's country is a splendid thing. But why should love stop at the border? There is a brotherhood among all men. This must be recognized if life is to remain. We must learn the love of man.
There is no substitute for work; what seems ease of performance comes from the greatest labor.
The art of interpretation is not to play what is written.
I see in the melody of Nature, God. It is a wonderful work of art. The spirit of the art is wonderful. And I feel that I am myself because I have never taken music lightly. Music is the manifestation of God, like everything else.
When you play Bach like Chopin, and Chopin like Bach, something good happens.
Race prejudice can't be talked down, it must be lived down.
Change is inevitable. Progress is optional.
If things are tough, remember that every flower had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there. So do not grieve about a bitter experience. The present is slipping by while you are regretting the past and worrying about the future. Regret will not prevent tomorrow's sorrows; it will only rob today of its strength.
I feel too much. It's like being drummed to death from within. You know?