Itzhak Perlman's Quotes

In Paris they have special wheelchairs that go through every doorway. They don't change the doorways, they change the wheelchairs. To hell with the people! If someone weighs a couple more pounds, that's it!

You get more nervous in front of a lot of people. That's why, when you play a concerto, you play with a small orchestra, in some place where you don't feel that it is as important as Carnegie Hall.

I am playing the violin, that's all I know, nothing else, no education, no nothing. You just practice every day.

Trust your ability!

One of the most important elements in teaching, conducting, and performing, all three, is listening.

So many things can drive you mad as a child, not only music.

That makes classical music work, the ability to improvise.

The most important thing to do is really listen.

This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in five or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development.

When you play a concerto with a small orchestra, you don't feel it is as important as Carnegie Hall. You try to work out all the little problems. Once that's all done, trust comes in.

A sponge has that much absorbent capability and after a while you can pour water over it and nothing stays.

Any gifted child can potentially get in real trouble because of the way they are handled.

Child prodigy is a curse because you've got all those terrible possibilities.

Competition can be the most nerve-racking experience. Some people just thrive on it.

For every child prodigy that you know about, at least 50 potential ones have burned out before you even heard about them.

I feel that you always pay when you are a child.

I listen to kids play a lot.

I love to work with young kids.

Preparing for a future in music is an expensive proposition.

Sometimes you get from the mouth of kids wonderful things.

That's the goal, to survive your gift.

There are people who are uncanny, who are finished products at a young age. I wasn't, thank God.

Another thing that I don't like to do is show too much how it goes. I do it once in a blue moon. Sometimes there are lessons when I don't pick up a violin at all.

For people who are really talented, what you don't say becomes extremely important. You have to judge what to say and what to leave alone so you can let the talent develop.

I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just beating time.

I look at raising funds for The Perlman Music Program as a challenge and as a way to provide opportunities for people who care about the future of classical music.