Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
The happiest moment in my life? When my doctor told me I was completely cured of leukaemia.
Horse riding is a perfect comparison with singing.You must know where the double fences are.
Music making is the most joyful activity possible, the most perfect expression of any emotion.
I think Beijing deserves the Olympics in order to be with all the rest of the world recognized.
People think I'm disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference.
I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent, and this is what I have devoted my life to.
It is so important for people at a young age to be invited to embrace classical music and opera.
I'm a perfectionist, and I always think that I can do better what I have done, even if it's good.
I can't see why we can't toss in a Junior Walker or Wilson Pickett number in every once in a while.
Opera is one of the most important art forms. It should be listened to and appreciated by everyone.
People don't see me in traditional roles; I'm not getting cast in the revival of 'Company' as Bobby.
When you arrive at a certain level it's very easy to say yes: that is the moment to learn to say no.
I'm in love with what a high heel does to a leg: how it makes a woman or a man feel. It's empowering.
There is no prodigy in our profession. If you see all the great singer of the past, none of them are.
For me, music making is the most joyful activity possible, the most perfect expression of any emotion.
I've been buying the same lambrusco from Correggio [a town between Reggio-Emilia and Modena] since 1965.
I'm trying to embrace social media because it gives artists a little more power than we've had in the past.
If I could live my life over again, there is one thing I would change. I would want to be able to eat less.
I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.
The rivalry is with ourself. I try to be better than is possible. I fight against myself, not against the other.
Just because you're working does not mean you're making money. That's two very different things in show business.
I carry on singing because I love it. The closer you are to the end, the more you understand how important it is.
When you're doing what you love, it's not exhausting at all, actually. It's completely empowering and exhilarating.
I don't in any way disparage any time I've had in the trenches because it really has made me the artist I am today.
For years I tried to put myself in a box, and it frustrated me, so I had to let go and let the universe take its course.
I have thrown chairs, but only during football matches. Generally, I am well-behaved. I do not like to make people angry.
I have great emotion every time I go on stage. Nothing in life gives me the same satisfaction that my profession gives me.
If children are not introduced to music at an early age, I believe something fundamental is actually being taken from them.
I am a very simple person. In spite of all that has happened to me, I have tried to remain the simple person I started out.
How can you be of service to something other than your own ego and bank account, in a business that's inherently narcissistic?
I always said if I played a drag queen, I'd want to create a template with the realness they talk about in 'Paris Is Burning.'
For me, life is about being positive and hopeful, choosing to be joyful, choosing to be encouraging, choosing to be empowering.
Yes, thanks to God... my life has a goal, much more important than my artistic activities, that is the struggle against Leukemia.
I would love to be able to turn my recording career into something that is substantial, and where I can go and tour with an orchestra.
One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.
I was so beat down as a young person - being black, being gay, being unable to assimilate because I could never, ever pull off being butch.
I had something nobody else could do - I sang in a way that separated me - and, when you're trying to get noticed, you play your trump card.
It is not always a matter of wild ovations and legendary performances. Sometimes you are just happy to get through an opera without trouble.
In the last 20, 22 years I have sung here very often and I have always felt the affection and warmth of the Italians, and I feel very close to you.
It is important to be passionate, but it is also important to combine the heart and the head. I have made mistakes in both my private and professional lives.
I remember quite well that 10,000 audience sang with us three on the spot, and ever since then, I always thought the Chinese audience are the greatest audience.
I have a wonderful shelter, which is my family. I have a wonderful relationship with my brother and sister; this makes me feel that I know always where I belong.
I think an important quality that I have is that if you turn on the radio and hear somebody sing, you know it's me. You don't confuse my voice with another voice.
If your body is not in shape to sing [from the diaphragm] you will push and push but keep falling back on your throat to make the sound. This will ruin your voice.
In recitals, you are naked before the audience - well, naked with your jacket and tails. The audience sees and hears the real person, not some role you are interpreting.
If you are burned, you are naturally anxious to see what your face looks like as soon as they take the bandages off. In my case, it was my voice that was my main concern.
In opera, as with any performing art, to be in great demand and to command high fees you must be good of course, but you must also be famous. The two are different things.
There's this misconception that I've been turning down roles. It's just not true. The reality is, there was nothing for me to do, nobody was calling, the phone wasn't ringing.
For all three of us, the Caracalla concert was a major event in our lives. I hope I am not immodest to think it was also unforgettable for most of the people who were present.
You can't ever put yourself in a position where someone is requiring you to inhabit somebody else's energy. You have to own your thing, or own it with very fiber of your being.