"I am a man of my time, and I write music for my time."

"I am not a man of letters, but a man of facts."

"I am a slave to my art, and I love my chains."

"I adore art... when I am alone with my notes, my heart pounds and the tears stream from my eyes, and my emotion and my joys are too much to bear."

"I am like a tree that bears fruit in its old age."