"If I weren't the way I am, I shouldn't write my symphonies." — Gustav Mahler

When I have reached a summit, I leave it with great reluctance, unless it is to reach for another, higher one.

To judge a composer's work, one must consider it as a whole.

The impressions of the spriritual experiences gave my future life its form and content.

The further the music develops, the more complex the apparatus used by the composer to express his thoughts becomes.