Franz Liszt

A theatre receives recognition through its initiative, which is indispensable for first-rate performances. ”

We need improvement in the style of performance. There is no more advantage in a musician who plays and conducts than in one who is only a beater of rhythm. ”

The public is always good. ”

Music embodies feeling without forcing it to contend and combine with thought, as it is forced in most arts and especially in the art of words. ”

I foster a sorrowful conception of affection. Make no sacrifices. ”

Life is only a long and bitter suicide, and faith alone can transform this suicide into a sacrifice. ”

Supreme serenity still remains the Ideal of great Art. The shapes and transitory forms of life are but stages toward this Ideal, which Christ's religion illuminates with His divine light. ”

I conclude that the Wagnerian operas which are already in the repertoire, and other masterworks as well, stand in no further need of my services. ”

I find little in the works of Beethoven, Berlioz, Wagner and others when they are led by a conductor who functions like a windmill. ”

I did not compose my work as one might put on a church vestment... rather it sprung from the truly fervent faith of my heart, such as I have felt it since my childhood. ”