The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.

A great poet is the most precious jewel of a nation.

Art is magic delivered from the lie of being truth.

The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.

Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.

What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.

I passionately hate the idea of being with it, I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time.

Nature scarcely ever gives us the very best; for that we must have recourse to art.

To play without passion is inexcusable!

Art not only imitates nature, but also completes its deficiencies.

And I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinking.

Intellectual passion drives out sensuality.

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.

Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.

Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.

Singers come and go, but if you're a good actor, you can last a long time

Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.

I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.

Critics are the men who have failed in literature and art.

Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend.

The absence of limitations is the enemy of art.