Trust your ability!

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

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

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.

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.

Trust your ability!

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

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

I listen to kids play a lot.

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.

Preparing for a future in music is an expensive proposition.

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

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!

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 feel that you always pay when you are a child.

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

That's the goal, to survive your gift.

I love to work with young kids.

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.

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.

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

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

Sometimes you get from the mouth of kids wonderful things.

I'm now doing three things: concerts, conducting, and teaching, and they each support each other. I learn to see things from different perspectives and listen with different ears. The most important thing that you need to do is really listen.

That makes classical music work, the ability to improvise.

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

The most important thing to do is really listen.

'Kol Nidrei' is probably the most important prayer in the Jewish religion. It comes on the evening of Yom Kippur. There are so many different renditions of it.

A lot of people ask me, 'What is your goal now that you have done everything?' And I always say that my goal is to not be bored by what I do. The only way that I cannot be bored by what I do is if I play something and it's all new to me.

A lot of society tries to put people with disabilities into one cube, and when you think about it, many, many people have different types of disabilities, and you cannot put a code that applies to towards everyone - generally, they can be guidelines, but in the long run, interior designers and architects need more education on the subject.

A talented child will have a schedule that is horrendous. You get up and practice, go to school, practice some more, eat dinner, and then you have homework.

Access Living is a powerful voice for people in the Chicago area who live with disabilities.

An amazing gift in a young child is, in some ways, an abnormality.

Architects have to become more aware of exactly what is involved in designing barrier-free buildings and homes.

As for minimalism, I don't care, don't care, don't care to repeat myself, repeat myself.

Believe me, I've had interviews where the person says, 'So when did you start and why? What about your parents?' I say to them, 'Please, have you heard of the word 'Google?'

Brahms is one of my all-time favorite composers.

Every person with a disability is an individual.

I actually wanted to play the violin before I had polio, and then afterwards, there was no reason not to.

I always find Bach to be an expression of a love of life. There's an enthusiasm that's absolutely contagious.

I always find that there is a real communication between voice and violin.

I am an eternal optimist. I always say 'Yihyeh Tov' or 'It'll get better.'

I am humbled and honored to receive the Genesis Prize, recognizing not just my professional achievements and my desire to improve the world, but also my commitment to my Jewish identity, Jewish values, and Jewish culture.

I can tell you that many soloists probably wish they could sit.

I have a very simple philosophy. One has to separate the abilities from the disabilities. The fact I cannot walk, that I need crutches or a scooter or whatever it is, has nothing to do with my playing the violin.

I have always been very proud of my Jewish heritage, which has greatly influenced my music, my world view, and my work as an advocate for individuals whom society often leaves behind.

I have just one fiddle. It works, and that's it. It has been an old friend.

I met my wife in music camp. She's got great ears, and we have a relationship where she's not afraid to tell me anything. If something's going on in my playing, she will tell me about it, and that's very, very important.