Of course, I know everything that happens in Russia. But even at the most dangerous moment or the most negative moment now, it's still 10 times better than what it was in the communist state. — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
Every man must have the right fearlessly to think independently and express his opinion about what he knows, what he has personally thought about… — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
Now I come to 75 years of age, I think what's most important in life is your conscience. If you told a lie and… — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
You must play for the love of music. Perfect technique is not as important as making music from the heart. — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
It is my aim, my destination in life to make the cello as beloved an instrument as the violin and piano. — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
All my life I wanted to play music with love to every member of the audience. — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
The war years were the most difficult time of my life. There was real famine in Moscow. The water froze inside the houses. There… — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
You know creators, composers, need a palette for life, a color for life. — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
In 1948 the first severe crash occurred in my life when Stalin put out his decree on 'formalism.' There was a bulletin board in… — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
There is too much emphasis on technical perfection nowadays, and not enough on what music is actually about - irony, joy, human suffering, love. — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share Image
Now I want to use money in a good way. I make foundations back home in Russia, I have sponsored vaccinations for more than one million children in my homeland and I have founded scholarships in the names of my great Russian compatriots - Oistrakh, Richter, Gilels, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Schnittke. — Mstislav Rostropovich Copy Share
