96 Quotes by Gustav Mahler

Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.

Wenn die Welt einmal untergehen sollte, ziehe ich nach Wien, denn dort passiert alles fünfzig Jahre später.

Don't bother looking at the view - I have already composed it.

A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything.

It is strange how one feels drawn forward without knowing at first where one is going.

Fortunately, something always remains to be harvested. So let us not be idle.

Destiny smiles upon me but without making me the least bit happier.

When I have reached a summit, I leave it with great reluctance, unless it is to reach for another, higher one.

If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music.