Leonard Bernstein

The greatest music is that which is both simple and profound.

Music is a gift from God.

The conductor's job is to bring the music to life.

I believe in the power of music to unite people.

The greatest music is that which is both intellectual and emotional.

Music is a reflection of the human spirit.

The artist must be a visionary.

I want to make music that inspires people.

The greatest music is that which is both timeless and timely.

Music is a miracle.

To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.

Music is, by its very nature, essentially powerless to express anything at all... music means itself.

The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his vitality and his life just for one moment or one creation.

I've been on the wrong end of this stuff so many times that I know how to recognize it.

A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is dialectical: not single-minded, it maintains an ever-unfolding dialogue between the present and the past.

The best way to 'fresc' a piece is to write it again.

I want to conduct the New York Philharmonic in a fur coat and a pig mask.

Technique is justification if it is for a purpose, but pure technique is just sleight of hand.

Any great work of art... revives and enlarges the sense of human possibilities.

The hallmark of the artist is the ability to respond to the moment.