A conductor should guide rather than command.

The conductor's stand is not a continent of power, but rather an island of solitude.

I have closed that page of my life without rancor. I do not disown any of the work done.

Nobility of spirit has more to do with simplicity than ostentation, wisdom rather than wealth, commitment rather than ambition.

I don't want to bother them and ruin the party they are preparing so carefully at La Scala.

It is extraordinary to have time to again study Le nozze di Figaro and discover new things.

You have to be able to enthral and persuade at the same time.

I'm not shy in the spotlight. I might seem austere and even arrogant, but far from it, I'm actually shy.

You have to channel the interpretation and performance into 100 people. And with the audience, the critics.

A conductor should guide rather than command.

The moment you think you have charisma you are finished.

Ideas dont make you rich. The correct execution of ideas does.

It was 100 feet of 16 mm black-and-white film of a car coming to a stop sign, and driving off. I had to decide how to frame and light it. It was magic. There was a sense of mystery.

We don't get the greatest tools to deal with anger. It's like, 'Hey, count to 10.' When someone really upsets me, how do I respond? I don't usually start counting to 10 and breathing deeply.

Protecting children and vulnerable workers abroad is a part of our overall efforts here at the Department of Labor.

I used to have a real passion for writing, but not so much anymore - probably because I do too much of it.

What our leaders and pundits never let slip is that the terrorists - whatever else they might be - might also be rational human beings; which is to say that in their own minds they have a rational justification for their actions.

On my iPhone 3GS, I use 'Instagram', 'Twitter' and 'Touch'.

All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring.

I usually spend the hiatus of 'Dexter' in New York in a way to balance things.

Vietnam was really an idealistic thing to stop the spread of communism, which, incidentally, it did. It was a pretty costly way to do it, but it achieved its goal.

And the fact of the matter is there were thousands of people that went through those training camps in Afghanistan. We know they are seeking deadlier weapons - chemical, biological and nuclear weapons if they can get it.

May the States be so bound to each other as forever to defy European politics. Upon that union, their consequence, their happiness, will depend. This is the first wish of a heart more truly American than words can express.

Foreign journalists writing about Turkey like to focus on the most fundamental divide in Turkish society: the rift between religious conservatives and secularists.

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.

I don't know about five guys against the world. It's more like five guys against these three chords, and we're gonna wrestle 'em down no matter what it takes.

I'd like to give people the hope and help I didn't have and that I had to learn by myself.

Do anything but let it produce joy.

The Quaker upbringing was not strict, but it was frugal. Extremely frugal. One was always encouraged to give away one's worldly goods.

As a culture or a civilisation, we are a bit juvenile; it's like 'Oh, I have all this power, whoa, this is so cool, I can transform the earth and I can produce all this wealth. But we're blinded by our success in a naive way. There's more to life, actually, and I think the sustainability issue is also helpful in reminding us about that.

Effectiveness without values is a tool without a purpose.

I don't always prepare such rich meals. Sometimes I'll just serve a simple quiche, salad and dessert for dinner. During the week I try to eat lightly.

Once typecast as the indispensable altarpiece of a well-appointed living room, TVs have infected every human environment. The average American household has more television sets than people.

I do a little thing about the way people shake the sweetener packet. You know, like they're all excited. I want to get all the granules down to one end. I love all these rituals.

American law enforcement officers understand that race is and has been a heated issue in our country. Most appreciate the vital need for thoroughness and transparency in pursuit of the greater good in their actions and in their investigations.