A biography for Itzhak Perlmanhasn’t been written yet.
“The problems of the disabled are unpopular.”
“The thing about talent is that it comes at different ages, sometimes at a very early age. That's when I find it to be the most challenging.”
“I am an eternal optimist. I always say 'Yihyeh Tov' or 'It'll get better.'”
“The difference is that with Ebola, it is such a devastating disease, and there is still no cure. They're still working on vaccines. The fact of the matter with polio, there is a cure; there is a vaccine.”
“An amazing gift in a young child is, in some ways, an abnormality.”
“The thing is that I always consider myself lucky that I can actually cry listening to some music.”
“A lot of people ask me, 'What is your goal now that you have done everything?' And I always say that my goal is to not be bored by what I do. The only way that I cannot be bored by what I do is if I play something and it's all new to me.”
“This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in five or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development.”
“The arts are part of the fiber of American society and should get Federal support.”
“A talented child will have a schedule that is horrendous. You get up and practice, go to school, practice some more, eat dinner, and then you have homework.”
“I feel that you always pay when you are a child.”
“I listen to kids play a lot.”
“In Paris they have special wheelchairs that go through every doorway. They don't change the doorways, they change the wheelchairs. To hell with the people! If someone weighs a couple more pounds, that's it!”
“Teaching is really very, very important. I always tell my students that you should find an opportunity to teach. When you teach others, you teach yourself.”
“My experience with the Detroit Symphony has been musically very satisfying. They have a wonderful sound, which for me is one of the most important qualities in an orchestra.”
“When I was growing up in Israel, Cantorial music was something I heard over and over on the radio, so it wasn't at all strange to me. I was very familiar with the music.”
“Sometimes you get from the mouth of kids wonderful things.”
“I am playing the violin, that's all I know, nothing else, no education, no nothing. You just practice every day.”
“Israel is the country of my birth. When I come here, I feel I'm coming home.”
“Competition can be the most nerve-racking experience. Some people just thrive on it.”