Gustav Mahler

Music Austrian 1860 – 1911 346 quotes

Visionary symphonist who bridged Romanticism and Modernism

Most quoted

"The important thing is never to let oneself be guided by the opinion of one's contemporaries; to continue steadfastly on one's way without letting oneself be either defeated by failure or diverted by applause."

— from Letter, 1902

"The further I get in my development, the more I see that the ultimate goal of the artist is to achieve *through his art* the picture of the world which is purely his own."

— from Letter to Max Marschalk, 1896

"The point is not to take the world's opinion as a guiding star but to go one's way in life and working unerringly, neither depressed by failure nor seduced by applause."

— from Letter to Max Kalbeck, 1902

All quotes by Gustav Mahler (346)

The artist must be a fool.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a saint.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a sinner.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a hero.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a coward.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a lover.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a hater.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a creator.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a destroyer.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a builder.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a demolisher.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a healer.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a tormentor.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a savior.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a destroyer of worlds.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a creator of worlds.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a mirror.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a window.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a door.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907

The artist must be a bridge.

Interview with Richard Specht 1907