Lukas Foss Quotes & Sayings

“There is another interesting paradox here: by immersing ourselves in what we love, we find ourselves. We do not lose ourselves. One does not lose one's identity by falling in love.”

“Great music does not just make me feel good. It means something. It makes us understand. It makes us happy.”

“Most people think an artist tries to be original, but originality is the last thing that develops in the artist.”

“That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. With a thief, we want to know how much money he stole, and from whom. With the artist it is not how much he took and from whom, but what he did with it.”

“In the nineteenth century the more grandiose word inspiration began to replace the word idea in the arts.”

“Personality is essential. It is in every work of art. When someone walks on stage for a performance and has charisma, everyone is convinced that he has personality. I find that charisma is merely a form of showmanship. Movie stars usually have it. A politician has to have it.”

“It is obvious that anything a scientist discovers or invents is based on previous discoveries and inventions. The same applies to the arts.”

“Yes, influences are enriching, and they can be found in every work of art, even the most original.”

“Mozart wrote so many works in his thirty-five years that it would take a lifetime just to write out the notes. We literally do not know how he did it.”

“Since age seven, I've been composing and have never stopped composing, yet, the creative process is as elusive to me as it has ever been.”