"As a journalist, I never isolated myself. I was a journalist at a daily newspaper and every day I went out on the street. Every day I had contact with people. I interviewed the most important writers of the twentieth century, and into the twenty-first century, from Simone de Beauvoir, Marguerite Duras, and Marguerite Yourcenar to Christa Wolf."

“Change the conversation of the world by dwelling on what's gone right.”

“As a matter of fact, a national language which spreads beyond its own confines very quickly loses much of its original richness of content and is in no better case than a constructed language.”

Source : Edward Sapir, Pierre Swiggers (2008). “General Linguistics”, p.281, Walter de Gruyter

“There's nothing more frustrating than seeing a conductor say, 'Play softer,' as they're waving their hands in huge gestures.”

Source : "Classical 'Rock Star' Joshua Bell Takes On Conducting". "Talk of the Nation" with Neal Conan, www.npr.org. April 24, 2012.

“There were a lot of times in the Cleveland and Chicago organizations when I did something, they wanted to make sure the camera was there. I really didn't want that. This isn't something my parents told me to do. Or something my family told me to do. Or do things for publicity. I do this on my own. I do this from my heart.”

“There is a way of living that has a certain grace and beauty. It is not a constant race for what is next, rather, an appreciation of that which has come before. There is a depth and quality of experience that is lived and felt, a recognition of what is truly meaningful. These are the feelings I would like my work to inspire. This is the quality of life that I believe in.”

“When somebody leaves this plane—or, if you like, goes into another room—those left behind sometimes try and stop loving—but this is a mistake, because even if you have loved only once in your life, you’re ruined.”

“Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve.”

“If you erased New York, I hate to say it, if you erased Frankfurt, even London, the world would not have changed.”