--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't mind conducting the orchestra if…" description: "\"I don't mind conducting the orchestra if I can play the violin.\" — Edwin Land" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/edwin-land-7636_conducting_i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if_1485568.png" --- # I don't mind conducting the orchestra if I can play the… ![“I don't mind conducting the orchestra if I can play the violin.” quote by Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/edwin-land-7636_conducting_i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if_1485568.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/edwin-land-7636_conducting_i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if_1485568.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/edwin-land-7636_conducting_i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if_1485568.png) > “I don't mind conducting the orchestra if I can play the violin.” [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conducting the orchestra is enjoyable only if one can also play the violin, highlighting the desire to stay actively involved. **In simple terms:** Enjoy leading while participating. Key Takeaway Balance leadership and participation. Themes leadership creativity participation Mood reflective motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - project leadership - team sports - musical ensembles Key Concepts hands‑on management artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - When should you step back and let others play? - How do you stay engaged without micromanaging? A Different Perspective Leadership may require delegation over direct involvement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Orchestra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchestra/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Violin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violin/) ## Related quotes > [I've been a woman for a little over 50 years and have gotten over my initial astonishment. As for conducting an orchestra, that's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-boulanger/i-ve-been-a-woman-for-a-little-over-50-years-and-have-gotten-over-my/) [Nadia Boulanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-boulanger/) > [I actually don't like playing the piano or conducting the orchestra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hisaishi/i-actually-don-t-like-playing-the-piano-or-conducting-the-orchestra/) [Joe Hisaishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hisaishi/) > [I am equally comfortable conducting an orchestra or talking to a group of academics as I am on stage playing with a rock band.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-mccreary/i-am-equally-comfortable-conducting-an-orchestra-or-talking-to-a/) [Bear McCreary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-mccreary/) > [The art of conducting consists in knowing when to stop conducting to let the orchestra play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-von-karajan/the-art-of-conducting-consists-in-knowing-when-to-stop-conducting-to/) [Herbert von Karajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-von-karajan/) > [It was so much fun conducting an orchestra and watching the musicians' faces as some of Kanye's lyrics went by. They couldn't believe what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-brion/it-was-so-much-fun-conducting-an-orchestra-and-watching-the-musicians/) [Jon Brion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-brion/) > [Beauty and fullness of tone can be achieved by having the whole orchestra play with high clarinets and a carefully selected number of piccolos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-mahler/beauty-and-fullness-of-tone-can-be-achieved-by-having-the-whole/) [Gustav Mahler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-mahler/) > [I always imagined that to bring an orchestra to play together is not enough for a conductor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-masur/i-always-imagined-that-to-bring-an-orchestra-to-play-together-is-not/) [Kurt Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-masur/) > [Most of the time, I'll be conducting the orchestra, but there will be some pieces that I'll be playing an instrument as well, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/most-of-the-time-i-ll-be-conducting-the-orchestra-but-there-will-be/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [When I was young, I was being pushed, against my will, towards becoming a classical musician. I had music scholarships; I had to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-flynn/when-i-was-young-i-was-being-pushed-against-my-will-towards-becoming/) [Johnny Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-flynn/) > [I had gotten to the point where I was either going to play the violin much better or I was going to break it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-taaffe-zwilich/i-had-gotten-to-the-point-where-i-was-either-going-to-play-the-violin/) [Ellen Taaffe Zwilich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-taaffe-zwilich/) > [Math is the beautiful, rich, joyful, playful, surprising, frustrating, humbling and creative art that speaks to something transcendental. It is worthy of much exploration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-tanton/math-is-the-beautiful-rich-joyful-playful-surprising-frustrating/) James Tanton > [I just woke up one day when I was six and I wanted to play the violin. Then, six years later, I didn't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-siegel/i-just-woke-up-one-day-when-i-was-six-and-i-wanted-to-play-the-violin/) [Leah Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-siegel/) > [I was classically trained. But more than just the fact that I play violin, there's a lot of classical elements in the way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-stirling/i-was-classically-trained-but-more-than-just-the-fact-that-i-play/) [Lindsey Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-stirling/) > [I remember when I was little, my mom asked me, 'Would you like to play the violin or the piano?' I looked at that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sirena-huang/i-remember-when-i-was-little-my-mom-asked-me-would-you-like-to-play/) Sirena Huang > [When you play a violin piece, you are a storyteller, and you're telling a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-bell/when-you-play-a-violin-piece-you-are-a-storyteller-and-you-re-telling/) [Joshua Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-bell/) ## More by Edwin Land > [We have to keep in practice like musicians. Besides, there are still potentialities to be realized in color film. To us, it's just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/we-have-to-keep-in-practice-like-musicians-besides-there-are-still/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [It only takes a day to change someone from an anti-intellectual to an intellectual by persuading him that he might be one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/it-only-takes-a-day-to-change-someone-from-an-anti-intellectual-to-an/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Don't do anything that someone else can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/don-t-do-anything-that-someone-else-can-do/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The present is the past biting into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-present-is-the-past-biting-into-the-future/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The world belongs to the articulate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-world-belongs-to-the-articulate/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Why do I want to believe what I believe?... Science, to put it somewhat vulgarly, is a technique to keep yourself from kidding yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/why-do-i-want-to-believe-what-i-believe-science-to-put-it-somewhat/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [Who can object to a monopoly when any new company, if it is built around a scientific nucleus, can create a new monopoly of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/who-can-object-to-a-monopoly-when-any-new-company-if-it-is-built/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [I believe that each young person is different from any other who has ever lived, as different as his fingerprints: that he could bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-believe-that-each-young-person-is-different-from-any-other-who-has/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [There is no such thing as group originality, group creativity or group perspicacity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/there-is-no-such-thing-as-group-originality-group-creativity-or-group/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A significant invention must be startling, unexpected. It must come to a world that is not prepared for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/a-significant-invention-must-be-startling-unexpected-it-must-come-to/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [I believe quite simply that the small company of the future will be as much a research organization as it is a manufacturing company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-believe-quite-simply-that-the-small-company-of-the-future-will-be/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A premature attempt to explain something that thrills you will destroy your perceptivity rather than increase it, because your tendency will be to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/a-premature-attempt-to-explain-something-that-thrills-you-will/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [A significant inventionmust be startling, unexpected. It must come to a world that is not prepared for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/a-significant-inventionmust-be-startling-unexpected-it-must-come-to-a/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The world is like a fertile field that's waiting to be harvested. The seeds have been planted, and what I do is go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-world-is-like-a-fertile-field-that-s-waiting-to-be-harvested-the/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [The most important thing about power is to make sure you don't have to use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/the-most-important-thing-about-power-is-to-make-sure-you-don-t-have/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) [Explore all 89 Edwin Land quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) ## More Conducting quotes > [I am a muso, and I love doing it. I assumed that would be my career for a long time. I always wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-robert-brown/i-am-a-muso-and-i-love-doing-it-i-assumed-that-would-be-my-career-for/) [Jason Robert Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-robert-brown/) > [At the time when I was conducting my research there was no known method for taking the guinea pig's temperature. I demonstrated a technique…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-jules-henry-nicole/at-the-time-when-i-was-conducting-my-research-there-was-no-known/) [Charles Jules Henry Nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-jules-henry-nicole/) > [Doctoral training is devoted almost entirely to learning to do research, even though most Ph.Ds who enter academic life spend far more time teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/doctoral-training-is-devoted-almost-entirely-to-learning-to-do/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [The actor is concerned with his own bit of it, but the director's somehow trying to work the whole thing into a much bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-joffe/the-actor-is-concerned-with-his-own-bit-of-it-but-the-director-s/) [Roland Joffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-joffe/) > [I started conducting lessons and I realized that this is actually something I like doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/i-started-conducting-lessons-and-i-realized-that-this-is-actually/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [Your presence here is is only a matter of conducting an experiment in limits, reminding yourself of what you aren’t.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/your-presence-here-is-is-only-a-matter-of-conducting-an-experiment-in/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [Phones rang constantly, as if the White House was conducting some kind of pardon telethon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-olson/phones-rang-constantly-as-if-the-white-house-was-conducting-some-kind/) [Barbara Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-olson/) > [The Kosovo campaign was a just and necessary war. And I believe that Blair - of whom I have many criticisms - in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-kosovo-campaign-was-a-just-and-necessary-war-and-i-believe-that/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I do three things. I do teaching, I do conducting and I do playing. And each one of those sort of helps the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itzhak-perlman/i-do-three-things-i-do-teaching-i-do-conducting-and-i-do-playing-and/) [Itzhak Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itzhak-perlman/) > [Well, I started conducting kind of by accident. I wanted to give myself a special birthday present for my fortieth birthday, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-mcferrin/well-i-started-conducting-kind-of-by-accident-i-wanted-to-give-myself/) [Bobby McFerrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-mcferrin/) > [ That Iran is willing to threaten Israel is wrong\[. . . .\] We pose no threat and if we are conducting nuclear research and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-larijani/that-iran-is-willing-to-threaten-israel-is-wrong-we-pose-no-threat/) [Ali Larijani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-larijani/) > [While some of them acknowledge the obligation of natural morality in their mode of conducting their cases, and preserve their individual character as gentlemen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-combe/while-some-of-them-acknowledge-the-obligation-of-natural-morality-in/) [George Combe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-combe/) > [The 10 or 12 artists I have known really well all my life are at least as competitive as professional athletes. They may express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-10-or-12-artists-i-have-known-really-well-all-my-life-are-at/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Conducting is like making love to a hundred people at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-bernstein/conducting-is-like-making-love-to-a-hundred-people-at-the-same-time/) [Leonard Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-bernstein/) > [..The argument he was conducting with his neighbor as to whether the English magician had gone mad because he was a magician, or because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/the-argument-he-was-conducting-with-his-neighbor-as-to-whether-the/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) Browse all 223 Conducting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't mind conducting the orchestra if I can play the violin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edwin Land" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if-i-can-play-the-violin/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conducting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if-i-can-play-the-violin/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/edwin-land-7636_conducting_i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if_1485568.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/edwin-land-7636_conducting_i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if_1485568.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/247/edwin-land-7636_conducting_i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if_1485568.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't mind conducting the orchestra if I can play the violin.” — Edwin Land", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edwin Land", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I don't mind conducting the orchestra...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if-i-can-play-the-violin/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/i-don-t-mind-conducting-the-orchestra-if-i-can-play-the-violin/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```