John Williams

“The orchestra is the ultimate instrument, and I've been lucky to have it as my toy, my tool, and my vehicle.”

“So much of what we do is ephemeral and quickly forgotten, even by ourselves, so it's gratifying to have something you have done linger in people's memories.”

“Music is that little bit of magic that transports us.”

“Writing a tune is like sculpting. You get the hunk of clay and you fashion it.”

“Any working composer or painter or sculptor will tell you that inspiration comes at the eighth hour of labour rather than as a bolt out of the blue.”

“Without craft, art is just a form of therapy.”

“A film score is really a kind of wallpaper. It's there, you notice it, but you're not supposed to pay that much attention to it.”

“I don't make a particular distinction between 'high art' and 'low art.' Music is there for everybody. It's a river we can all put our cups into and drink it and be sustained by it.”

“Dialogue is a great sound effect. It can be a musical sound effect, in its cadence, in its rhythm.”

“The job of a film composer is to be a chameleon.”

“The magic of film is that it is a collaborative art.”

“I still feel like a student. I'm learning all the time. I'm not a master. I'm a student.”

“I have a great-grandsomething, and when she was 2, she was terrified of 'Jaws.' Just the music.”

“I would be happy to be a scuba diver, a gardener, a painter, whatever. I'm not sure I'm a composer, to tell you the truth.”

“You have to have a sense of humor. You have to be able to laugh at yourself. It's very important.”