Igor Stravinsky

"A musician must compose music not to please the ears, but to move the soul."

"The worst that can happen to an artist is not failure, but comfortable stagnation."

"Originality cannot be taught; it can only be unleashed."

"The conductor is a tyrant, and music is his kingdom."

"I create, therefore I exist."

"Music is not feeling; it is intellect expressed through sound."

"Patience is the virtue of the great composer."

"The audience must trust the artist, or there is no art."

"Every note must justify its existence."

"Bad music drives out good, much like bad currency."

"Art is not democratic; it is aristocratic in the truest sense."

"The composer must write what he hears, not what the market demands."

"Inspiration exists, but it must find you working."

"The modern world celebrates noise; we must champion silence."

"A composer's legacy is not in wealth, but in the works he leaves behind."

"The orchestra is a dictionary of colors and textures."

"Innovation without tradition is chaos; tradition without innovation is death."

"I am my own worst critic and my greatest ally."

"Music speaks where words fail."

"The greatest compositions arise from constraint, not freedom."

"A performer must serve the composer, not himself."

"Life without music is merely existence."

"The mind must be disciplined before it can be free."

"Art is the bridge between the conscious and unconscious mind."

"I do not fear failure; I fear mediocrity."

"Every artist must eventually find his own voice or forever remain a shadow."

"Music is the architecture of the emotions."

"Technique without emotion is gymnastics; emotion without technique is noise."

"The truest form of rebellion is creating something beautiful."

"A composer must listen more than he writes."