You must play in such a way that the audience quite naturally feels intelligent.   –Nadia Boulanger

If disappointment is not for you, then it is best not to try anything. [Talking to a composer colleague in San Francisco who had discovered that her orchestral piece did not win a local competition.] –Me

Forgotten, but not gone. [–in reference to a difficult colleague who persisted in returning to the institution on a regular basis after she had quit.] –Conrad Susa (San Francisco Conservatory of Music)

The art of music is so deeply profound that to approach it very seriously only, is not enough.  One must approach music with a serious rigour and, at the same time, with a great, affectionate joy. –Nadia Boulanger