and a couple more of my favorites...

"reduce your wants. our needs make us vulnerable enough." -- Gandhi

"if the angel deigns to come it will be because you have convinced her not by tears but by your humble resolve to be always beginning; to be a beginner."
- Rilke

finally, Gandhi was once asked what he thought about western civilization. His response was: "I think it would be a good idea."

Suede and all,
Wow... what a great quote. In reflection the lines do seem to fade when we are doing what we love.... Thanks for posting, Cyndi

Here are a few of my favorites:

If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy.
If it were merely challenging, that would be no problem.
But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save)
the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world.
This makes it hard to plan the day.
–E.B. White

When you walk to the edge of all the light you have
and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown,
you must believe that one of two things will happen:

There will be something solid for you to stand upon,
or, you will be taught how to fly.
-Patrick Overton

We can practice being gentle with each other by being gentle
with that piece of ourselves that is hardest to hold, by giving more
to the brave bruised girl child within each of us...
We can quiet her frenzy toward perfection and encourage
her attentions towards fulfillment. Maybe then we will come to
appreciate how much she has taught us, and how much she is
doing to keep this world revolving towards a powerful future.
-Audre Lorde

One of my all-time favorite quotes is from the movie,“The Competition,” in which Amy Irving & Richard Dreyfus are young pianists who are playing in a prestigious piano competition. Lee Remick plays a former award-winning classical pianist who is Irving’s mentor & teacher. Irving is in the middle of playing her piece in the competition when the piano’s middle register of keys go “dead” and a new piano has to be brought in for her to start over. Because she is so rattled by it, Irving decides she can’t re-start the same piece and tells the conductor (Andrew) that she wants to play a different piece (which is actually more intricate and complicated) this time. Andrew “throws a tantrum” saying that he would have to re-configure the orchestra and bring in additional instruments and says “no” to Irving’s request. At that point, Lee Remick steps up to him and “gets in his face” to say: “Andrew! It would cost extra to have “SCHMUCK” carved on your gravestone, but you would definitely be worth the expense!” Needless to say (as movie fiction goes), Andrew immediately re-configured the orchestra and Irving’s character won the competition.

Over the years since then, I have had the occasion to think this about far too many people, but have never had the courage to say it out loud. Yet, what a sense of satisfaction I get just by thinking it!

This quote is certainly reflected in everything you do. You are woking on stage for your living; however, your facial expressions and body actions give you away. The crowd can see you love your work, enjoy being there, and give an outstanding concert every time. For those of us "out there" keep it up, girl!