42 Quotes by Lukas Foss

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.

Why do we pigeonhole and label an artist? It is a sure way of missing the important, the contradictory, the things that make him or her unique.

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

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.

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.

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.