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)
Quotations by:
Bernstein, Leonard
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)
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).
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)