Quotes from Itzhak Perlman

Ask many of us who are disabled what we would like in life and you would be surprised how few would say, 'Not to be disabled.' We accept our limitations.

Whenever I play recitals, the part where I talk about music and my experiences of music, audiences always like it. They feel more involved with an artist who talks to them. It's a nice experience for me as well.

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

When I was growing up in Israel, Cantorial music was something I heard over and over on the radio, so it wasn't at all strange to me. I was very familiar with the music.

Teaching is really very, very important. I always tell my students that you should find an opportunity to teach. When you teach others, you teach yourself.

Preparing for a future in music is an expensive proposition.

The arts are part of the fiber of American society and should get Federal support.

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

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.

The most important thing to do is really listen.

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.

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.

Sometimes you get from the mouth of kids wonderful things.

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

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

Don't play the way it goes. Play the way it is. And the way it is every time you play it, it's slightly different. Look for something. So that's the challenge not to be bored.

Life is not as easy as it could be for a person with a disability.

If you can read, then you can recite Shakespeare. But that's not acting.

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.

To bring a large audience to a piece of serious music and make it accessible does not mean reducing it in any way. And I've learned that if something is good, even if it is a little difficult, people will get that it is good.

It is good medicine to go to a concert hall and forget the harshness of what's going on. It can be a very positive thing.

That's the goal, to survive your gift.

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