“Sorrowful and great is the artist's destiny.”

“If the empire were to collapse, I should personally feel extremely sad. I absolutely do not believe that the personal rule of Napoleon III has been corrupting and oppressive for France-but quite the contrary, it is demonstrably necessary, conciliatory, progressive, and generally intelligent and democratic in the best sense of the word.”

“For the virtuoso, musical works are in fact nothing but tragic and moving materializations of his emotions; he is called upon to make them speak, weep, sing and sigh, to recreate them in accordance with his own consciousness. In this way he, like the composer, is a creator, for he must have within himself those passions that he wishes to bring so intensely to life.”

“I love you sometimes foolishly and at these moments I do not understand that I could not, would not, and should not be so absorbing a thought for you as you are for me...”

“Music is the heart of life." She speaks love; "without it, there is no possible good and with it everything is beautiful.”

“Brahms' Variations are better than mine, but mine were written before his.”

“My compositions spring from my sorrows. Those that give the world the greatest delight were born of my deepest griefs.”