28 Quotes by Charles E. Ives

Awards are merely the badges of mediocrity.

Vagueness is at times an indication of nearness to a perfect truth.

Every great inspiration is but an experiment – though every experiment we know, is not a great inspiration.

The possibilities of percussion sounds, I believe, have never been fully realized.

The future of music may not lie entirely in music itself, but rather in the way it encourages and extends, rather than limits the aspirations and ideals of the people, in the way it makes itself a part with the finer things that humanity does and dreams of.

Is not beauty in music too often confused with something which lets the ears lie back in an easy chair?

Stand up and take your dissonance like a man.

I don’t write music for sissy ears.

My God! What has sound got to do with music?