WIST Quotations

Bernstein, Leonard -- “A Sabbatical Report,” sec. 1, New York Times (24 Oct 1965)

Dave — Fri, 08 May 2020 14:27:03 +0000

A work of art does not answer questions: it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between their contradictory answers.

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer, pianist
“A Sabbatical Report,” sec. 1, New York Times (24 Oct 1965)
(Source)

Reprinted in The Infinite Variety of Music (1966)

Bernstein, Leonard -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:49:42 +0000

To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time.

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer, pianist
(Attributed)

Bernstein, Leonard -- Commencement Speech, Johns Hopkins University (1980-05-30)

Dave — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 15:53:13 +0000

The gift of imagination is by no means an exclusive property of the artist; it is a gift we all share; to some degree or other all of us, all of you, are endowed with the powers of fantasy.

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer, pianist
Commencement Speech, Johns Hopkins University (1980-05-30)
(Source)

Collected in Findings: Fifty Years of Meditations on Music, Part 4 (1982).

Bernstein, Leonard -- Statement (1953)

Dave — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:26:32 +0000

A liberal is a man or a woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night, and a bright, infinite future.

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer, pianist
Statement (1953)