The First Thing To Do

For Twelve Years I Studied And Worked At Them Every Day, And I Was Nearly 25 Before I Had The Courage To Play One Of Them In Public. Before I Did, No Violinist Or Cellist Had Ever Played A Suite In Its Entirety.

The Truly Important Things In Life - Love, Beauty, And One's Own Uniqueness - Are Constantly Being Overlooked.

Thank God, I'll Never Have To Play The Cello Again.

To Be A Musician Is A Great Privilege But It Is Also A Very Great Responsibility. One Must Think That To Be A Musician Is A Gift - A Gift From Nature. There Is No Great Merit In Us Except In Loving This Gift With Respect And Devotion And Doing Everything Possible To Honor That Gift By Work And More Work. We Must Work With Conviction And Humility, Searching For Beauty, Simplicity, And The Truth. And It Is For Us Musicians To Do All In Our Power For A Better World. Music Must Carry The Message Of Beauty, Of Love And Of Peace.

I Am A Very Simple Man. I Am A Man First, An Artist Second. My First Obligation Is To The Welfare Of My Fellow Man. I Will Endeavour To Meet This Obligation Through Music, Since It Transcends Language, Politics And National Boundaries.