To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to have houses, music, paintings -- it's all a miracle. I have adopted the technique of living life miracle to miracle."

"Of course there is no formula for success except, perhaps, an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings."

"Composing a concert is like composing a menu. . . . If you start with light pieces and play a 45-minute sonata after the interlude, it's like starting dinner with hors d'oeuvres and dessert and finishing with a Châteaubriand and vegetables."

"When I was young, I used to have successes with women because I was young. Now I have successes with women because I am old. Middle age was the hardest part."

"Sometimes when I sit down to practice and there is no one else in the room, I have to stifle an impulse to ring for the elevator man and offer him money to come in and hear me."