--- title: "1 Stories Music Quotes By Yo-Yo Ma" description: "1 Stories Music quotes by Yo-Yo Ma. Plus more from Yo-Yo Ma and more Stories Music sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/957/yo-yo-ma-8612_four_i-play-an-instrument-that-has-four-strin_2987241.png" --- > [I play an instrument that has four strings, and I'm still trying to get it right. What I've tried to do in the process of playing these four strings is to try and understand the people I meet, the stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/i-play-an-instrument-that-has-four-strings-and-i-m-still-trying-to/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/957/yo-yo-ma-8612_four_i-play-an-instrument-that-has-four-strin_2987241.png) ## More by Yo-Yo Ma > [With every year of playing, you want to relax one more muscle. Why? Because the more tense you are, the less you can hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/with-every-year-of-playing-you-want-to-relax-one-more-muscle-why/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [A composition is always more than the sum of its parts. In other words, a really good piece of music is more than itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/a-composition-is-always-more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-in-other-words/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [Good things happen when you meet strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/good-things-happen-when-you-meet-strangers/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [My involvement in the political arena is to make sure there's a place for culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/my-involvement-in-the-political-arena-is-to-make-sure-there-s-a-place/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [When we enlarge our view of the world, we deepen our understanding of our own lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/when-we-enlarge-our-view-of-the-world-we-deepen-our-understanding-of/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [People will ask, 'Are you famous?' And I always answer, 'My mother thinks so.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/people-will-ask-are-you-famous-and-i-always-answer-my-mother-thinks-so/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [I remember when I was growing up. My great wish was to understand who I was and how I fit in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/i-remember-when-i-was-growing-up-my-great-wish-was-to-understand-who/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [It took me way beyond what I knew, into places of which I was totally scared, but as I became less frightened, I welcomed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/it-took-me-way-beyond-what-i-knew-into-places-of-which-i-was-totally/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [One is that you have to take time, lots of time, to let an idea grow from within. The second is that when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/one-is-that-you-have-to-take-time-lots-of-time-to-let-an-idea-grow/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [You go through phases. You have to reinvent reasons for playing, and one year's answer might not do for another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/you-go-through-phases-you-have-to-reinvent-reasons-for-playing-and/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [When people ask me how they should approach performance, I always tell them the professional musician should aspire to the state of the beginner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/when-people-ask-me-how-they-should-approach-performance-i-always-tell/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [Mastering music is more than learning technical skills. Practicing is about quality, not quantity. Some days I practice for hours; other days it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/mastering-music-is-more-than-learning-technical-skills-practicing-is/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [I think that peace is, in many ways, a precondition of joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/i-think-that-peace-is-in-many-ways-a-precondition-of-joy/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [Jazz has been such a force in music, that any musician, including classical composers, have been influenced, and obviously performers, also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/jazz-has-been-such-a-force-in-music-that-any-musician-including/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) > [Practicing is not only playing your instrument, either by yourself or rehearsing with others - it also includes imagining yourself practicing. Your brain forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-ma/practicing-is-not-only-playing-your-instrument-either-by-yourself-or/) [Yo-Yo Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-ma/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-music/yo-yo-ma/#itemlist", "name": "1 Stories Music Quotes By Yo-Yo Ma", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I play an instrument that has four strings, and I'm still trying to get it right. What I've tried to do in the process of playing these four strings is to try and understand the people I meet, the stories they have to tell. 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