If they say they don't like the way I play Beethoven, then I can swallow that, and maybe they're right. But if they don't like what I've written, then it's about me.
Stephen HoughRead
Life is an incurable disease leading to death, but it's also an unrequested gift, which, if we can manage to keep giving it away to others, can keep giving back everything to us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Life is both a challenge and a precious gift that becomes more meaningful when shared with others.
This quote by Stephen Hough captures the dual nature of life as a journey filled with struggles due to its inevitable end, yet simultaneously emphasizes its value as a gift that can be enriched through generosity and connection with others. By giving our life experiences and compassion to those around us, we find that life, despite its challenges, returns happiness and fulfillment, creating a cycle of giving and receiving that enhances our existence.
Themes
LifeGiftDeathGivingMeaningExistence
In practice
Example use cases
You could use this quote as an introduction to a speech about the importance of community service.
More from Stephen Hough
All quotes →Unlike sport, music is not about winning or keeping fit or promoting your town or school; it's about celebrating, to a level approaching ecstasy, the deepest human longings.
Stephen HoughRead
All things of beauty can speak to us of God, and I'm very happy to listen to and be inspired by people of every religious background.
Stephen HoughRead
Live in the present moment. The past and future are nonexistent. Only the present can be grasped or, better, embraced.
Stephen HoughRead
In Britten or Berg, there's a tension between the sweet and the sour, between the familiar and the unfamiliar, the tonal and the atonal, the happy and the sad. That, to me, is what all western art is about - that tension. It's why we want to say anything at all.
Stephen HoughRead
There are artists who delight listeners with their wild and daring individuality; there are others who uncover the written score with reverence. There are few who can do both.
Stephen HoughRead
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