Shinichi Suzuki > Quotes

“To make a resolution and act accordingly is to live with hope. There may be difficulties and hardships, but not disappointment or despair if you follow the path steadily. Do not hurry. This is a fundamental rule. If you hurry and collapse or tumble down, nothing is achieved. DO not rest in your efforts; this is another fundamental rule. Without stopping, without haste, carefully taking a step at a time forward will surely get you there.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens. If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.”
― Shinichi Suzuki

“Beautiful tone, beautiful heart.”
― Shinichi Suzuki

“To deceive oneself is worse than to deceive others." These harsh words pierced me to the core.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“Live by looking for things to do for other people.”
― Shinichi Suzuki

“Perhaps it is music that will save the world.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“A child's slowness in any subject indicates a deficiency in his environment, educational or otherwise.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“First character, then ability.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“If a musician wants to become a fine artist, he must first become a finer person.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“Man is the Child of his Environment”
― Shinichi Suzuki

“If he or she really goes about it in earnest, anyone can cultivate ability in ten years, I believe. Even in one year, shortcomings can be changed into good points if only we set our aims high enough. Continuing for ten years, we can become outstanding indeed...There is no limit to our shortcomings. Until we die, we should spare no time or effort in changing our weaknesses to merits. To do so can be pleasant and interesting. We can become like the horse that starts last and yet outruns the field, reaching the wire first; it is the same fun.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“If I simply do my best, I cannot complain even if I am taken to hell.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“I cannot live without children.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“Anything you think of doing, however insignificant, should be done immediately. Spur yourself on and carry it through without becoming discouraged. If this becomes an ingrained habit, things you thought were impossible will become possible, and closed doors will open, as you will discover in many ways.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“I play with children so that I can learn from them.”
― Shinichi Suzuki

“What is man's ultimate direction in life? It is to look for love, truth, virtue, and beauty”
― Shin'ichi Suzuki

“It is in our power to educate all the children of the world to become a little better as people, a little happier.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“As I have said before, I had no illusions about my performing ability. But I did not know that my despair was brought about not because I had no talent but because I did not know how to develop it.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“We all have unlimited shortcomings. Yet one way of seeing things is to consider our lives as a time frame that allows us continually to work at changing our weaknesses into strengths. This, I must say, is an intriguing task.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love (Revised Edition): Translated from the Original Japanese Text

“I played with children so that I could learn from them.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education

“Knowledge is not skill. Knowledge plus ten thousand times is skill.”
― Shinichi Suzuki

“Our aim needs to be the nurturing of children. The moment we rigidly convince ourselves, “Education is what we’re after,” we warp a child’s development. -1-  First foster the heart, then help the child acquire ability. This is indeed nature’s proper way.”
― Shinichi Suzuki, Nurtured by Love (Revised Edition): Translated from the Original Japanese Text