Inspiration Quotes

"Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman."

- Ludwig van Beethoven

"Then the singing enveloped me. It was furry and resonant, coming from everyone's very heart. There was no sense of performance or judgment, only that the music was breath and food."

- Anne Lamott

"Sing, then. Sing, indeed, with shoulders back, and head up so that song might go to the roof and beyond to the sky. Mass on mass of tone, with a hard edge, and rich with quality, every single note a carpet of colour woven from basso profundo, and basso, and baritone, and alto, and tenor, and soprano, and also mezzo, and contralto, singing and singing, until life and all things living are become a song. O, Voice of Man, organ of most lovely might."

- Richard Llewellyn

"Choral music is not one of life’s frills. It’s something that goes to the very heart of our humanity, our sense of community, and our souls. You express, when you sing, your soul in song. And when you get together with a group of other singers, it becomes more than the sum of the parts. All of those people are pouring out their hearts and souls in perfect harmony, which is kind of an emblem for what we need in this world, when so much of the world is at odds with itself…that just to express, in symbolic terms, what it’s like when human beings are in harmony. That’s a lesson for our times and for all time. I profoundly believe that. And musical excellence is, of course, at the heart of it. But, even if a choir is not the greatest in the world, the fact that they are meeting together has a social value. It has a communal value. And I always say that a church or a school without a choir is like a body without a soul. We have to have a soul in our lives. And everybody tells me, who has sung in a choir, that they feel better for doing it. That whatever the cares of the day, if they maybe meet after a long day’s school or work, that somehow you leave your troubles at the door. And when you’re sitting there, making music for a couple hours at the end of the day, that’s the only thing that matters at that moment. And you walk away refreshed. You walk away renewed. And that’s a value that goes just beyond the music itself. Of course, as a musician, I put the music at the heart of it, but all of these other values just stand out as a beacon. I think our politicians need to take note…my gosh do they ever! [laughs], and our educators, those who decide education budgets, church budgets, just need to remember it’s not a frill. It’s like a great oak that rises up from the center of the human race and spreads its branches everywhere. That’s what music does for us. And choral music must stand as one of the supreme examples of it."

- John Rutter

"Go to church to learn about forgiveness; come back to become a forgiver! Go to church and learn about kindness; come back to become a kind person! If things go like that, you will be a true image of Christ after going to church only 10 times on 10 Sundays!"

- Israelmore Ayivor

"The first breath a choir, orchestra or band takes together, a breath filled with focus, intention and emotion, a breath unified for no other reason than to make something beautiful together...that is the reason we do what we do."

- Eric Whitacre

"Angels exist to remind us of the beauty and divinity within ourselves, urging us to embrace our inner light."

- Doreen Virtue

"Angels whisper messages of divine wisdom, inspiring us to tap into our inner strength and potential."

- Louise Hay

"The mystic cords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the angels of our nature."

- Abraham Lincoln

"Inspiration is an awakening, a quickening of all man's faculties, and it is manifested in all high artistic achievements."

- Giacomo Puccini

"Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable."

- Leonard Bernstein

"The end of all good music is to affect the soul."

- Claudio Monteverdi

"Some of the greatest sermons that have ever been preached were preached by the singing of a song."

- Spencer W. Kimball

"Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts, move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul."

- Ezra Taft Benson

"Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end."

- The First Presidency

"Music is truly the universal language, and when it is excellently expressed how deeply it moves our souls."

- David O. McKay

"The most effective preaching of the gospel is when it is accompanied by beautiful, appropriate music."

- Harold B. Lee

"When you envision yourself doing something, you’ll be surprised at how much that helps you to actually do it."

- Selim Nurudeen

"Embrace the art of visualization and paint a vivid picture of your success."

- Carl Lewis

"I see the vision of a runner ahead of me, maybe just 15, 20 meters ahead of me, and the cadence of that runner, which is actually me in the future, is a little quicker, so if I am going (his rhythm/breathing), then my ghost runner, the vision of me, ahead of me, like opening up and just going for it, is quicker."

- Gabe Jennings

"I am big enough to admit I am often inspired by myself."

- Leslie Knope

"Actions speak louder than words, and a smile says, “I like you. You make me happy. I am glad to see you.”"

- Dale Carnegie

"Be the kind of person that makes other people want to up their game."

"Happy 30th Birthday! May this new decade be your most inspiring yet."

"Not all angels have wings, some have stethoscopes."

"Only a doctor can teach how to love life."

"The 30s: Where dreams meet reality, and magic happens."

"Thirty is just the beginning of a new adventure. Dream big, live fully, and cherish every moment."

"Happy 30th Birthday! May you continue to inspire those around you with your passion and perseverance."

"Thirty looks fabulous on you! Here's to embracing the adventures and wisdom this decade brings."