Some musical directors have more chutzpah. They pick up the phone and talk people into giving. I prefer to call and say 'thank you' after the money has been contributed.
Zubin MehtaRead
Go to the young conductors who are not making it, and you will hear how we shouldn't push ourselves or sell ourselves, how they don't have the right connections and the right opportunities. Well, you can be sure they've had the opportunities.
Interpretation
Success often requires seizing opportunities and perseverance rather than solely relying on connections.
In this quote, Zubin Mehta highlights the often heard excuses from young conductors who feel held back in their careers. He suggests that many of them blame the lack of connections or opportunities for their struggles, yet he emphasizes that they likely have had opportunities that they didn't capitalize on. This underscores the idea that success is not just about having the right connections, but also about effort and initiative in pursuing one's goals.
In practice
During a motivational speech to aspiring musicians.
Some musical directors have more chutzpah. They pick up the phone and talk people into giving. I prefer to call and say 'thank you' after the money has been contributed.
In truth, I became a conductor because deep down I wanted to conduct Brahms's four symphonies and Richard Strauss's tone poems.
A medal glitters, but it also casts a shadow.
My head's not in the clouds, but I think I've gotten too much credit for being an astute businessman.
Success must include two things: the development of an individual to his utmost potentiality and a contribution of some kind to one's world.
As actors, we're all encouraged to feel that each job is the last job. They plant some little electrode in your head at an early stage and you think, 'Be grateful, be grateful, be grateful.'
If I can bring joy into the world, then I'll be successful.
It is the 'follow through' that makes the great difference between ultimate success and failure, because it is so easy to stop.
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