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)