The opera always loses money. That's as it should be. Opera has no business making money.

There are two sighs of relief every night in the life of an opera manager. The first comes when the curtain goes up The second sigh of relief comes when the final curtain goes down without any disaster, and one realizes, gratefully, that the miracle has happened again.

Businesspeople are like sharks, not just because we're gray and slightly oily, or because our teeth trail the innards of those we have eviscerated, but because we must move forward or die.

We are similar to a museum. My function is to present old masterpieces in modern frames.

I don't want them to come in with a white tie, and I don't want them to come in a black tie. But I do want them to come in a tie.

I will not enter into a public feud with Madame Callas, since I am well aware that she has considerably greater competence and experience at that kind of thing than I have.