--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a young child, I thought that all…" description: "\"As a young child, I thought that all pianists played everything. I mean, I thought anything on piano - any piano music, all pianists played it.\" — Alle..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/allen-toussaint-38435_children_as-a-young-child-i-thought-that-all-pian_3089019.jpg" --- # As a young child, I thought that all pianists played… ![“As a young child, I thought that all pianists played everything. I mean, I thought anything on piano - any piano music, all pianists played it.” quote by Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/allen-toussaint-38435_children_as-a-young-child-i-thought-that-all-pian_3089019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/allen-toussaint-38435_children_as-a-young-child-i-thought-that-all-pian_3089019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/allen-toussaint-38435_children_as-a-young-child-i-thought-that-all-pian_3089019.jpg) > “As a young child, I thought that all pianists played everything. I mean, I thought anything on piano - any piano music, all pianists played it.” [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recalls childhood belief that all pianists could play any piano music. **In simple terms:** Child thought pianists master all repertoire. Key Takeaway Recognize diverse skill levels among musicians. Themes music learning perception talent growth Mood nostalgic insightful Type personal musical When to use this quote - music lessons - performance preparation - self‑assessment Key Concepts musical repertoire skill development education Questions to Reflect On - How does specialization shape musical mastery? - What drives a pianist to broaden repertoire? A Different Perspective Simplifies the reality of specialized training. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Pianist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pianist/) [Pianists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pianists/) [Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano/) [Piano music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano-music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Young children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-children/) ## Related quotes > [Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/please-do-not-shoot-the-pianist-he-is-doing-his-best/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [A mission that comes from the heart to promote these things and to encourage composers to write, then of course they should do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/a-mission-that-comes-from-the-heart-to-promote-these-things-and-to/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) > [Pianists don't argue too much generally because we have a hard enough time just getting things right. Arguing is for string players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-ax/pianists-don-t-argue-too-much-generally-because-we-have-a-hard-enough/) [Emanuel Ax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-ax/) > [Whenever I record something, I always believe that it's worthy of inclusion in the pantheon, and I would certainly like pianists to pay more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/whenever-i-record-something-i-always-believe-that-it-s-worthy-of/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) > [Pianists of extraordinary talent, such as Christina Petrowska,spend a large part of their early lives perfecting technique…Miss Petrowska,a Canadian with a phenomenal ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donal-henahan/pianists-of-extraordinary-talent-such-as-christina-petrowska-spend-a/) [Donal Henahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donal-henahan/) > [If there's one thing I feel very strongly about, it's that there shouldn't be a distinction between pianists who play Ligeti and those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-denk/if-there-s-one-thing-i-feel-very-strongly-about-it-s-that-there/) [Jeremy Denk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-denk/) > [I don't record for my own glory.I mean, of course part of it is for career advancement, but more importantly, I want some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/i-don-t-record-for-my-own-glory-i-mean-of-course-part-of-it-is-for/) [Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/) > [I have a good friend, Rudolf Serkin, the pianist, a very sensitive man. I was talking to him one day backstage after a concert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wyeth/i-have-a-good-friend-rudolf-serkin-the-pianist-a-very-sensitive-man-i/) [Andrew Wyeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wyeth/) > [I applied, and I got in as a pianist. Their idea in the music department was that pianists, if they were good enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeena-parkins/i-applied-and-i-got-in-as-a-pianist-their-idea-in-the-music/) [Zeena Parkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeena-parkins/) > [Pianists call me a composer, composers call me a pianist. 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People have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-simone/when-i-was-studying-there-weren-t-any-black-concert-pianists-my/) [Nina Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-simone/) > [I would also like to mention pianists like Michel Petrucciani or Chick Сorea for whom I have great admiration in the jazz field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-clayderman/i-would-also-like-to-mention-pianists-like-michel-petrucciani-or/) [Richard Clayderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-clayderman/) > [I was born in Memphis. There was music all around me, really deep and special music. I heard all these great masters at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lloyd/i-was-born-in-memphis-there-was-music-all-around-me-really-deep-and/) [Charles Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lloyd/) ## More by Allen Toussaint > [I never planned on being a live performer. My whole forte was about being in the studio, producing, playing the piano on recording sessions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-toussaint/i-never-planned-on-being-a-live-performer-my-whole-forte-was-about/) [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) > [My music is homegrown from the garden of New Orleans. Music is everything to me short of breathing. Music also has a role to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-toussaint/my-music-is-homegrown-from-the-garden-of-new-orleans-music-is/) [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) > [Whenever I wrote songs - particularly back then - it would always be for a particular artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-toussaint/whenever-i-wrote-songs-particularly-back-then-it-would-always-be-for/) [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) > [To play with a band all of the time, just about nightly, was good for me because I wrote lots of arrangements and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-toussaint/to-play-with-a-band-all-of-the-time-just-about-nightly-was-good-for/) [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) > [The mother-in-laws themselves weren't natural jokes but most comedians used to use that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-toussaint/the-mother-in-laws-themselves-weren-t-natural-jokes-but-most/) [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) > [As an early child, I tried to play every kind of music that I heard. I thought everyone was doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-toussaint/as-an-early-child-i-tried-to-play-every-kind-of-music-that-i-heard-i/) [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) > [And do respect the women of the world; remember you all had mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-toussaint/and-do-respect-the-women-of-the-world-remember-you-all-had-mothers/) [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) > [To get to New Orleans you don't pass through anywhere else. 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And you don't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-toussaint/when-you-re-playing-live-those-people-who-you-re-trying-to-please-and/) [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) [Explore all 11 Allen Toussaint quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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