Ralph Vaughan Williams

“The composer must not shut himself up and think about art, he must live with his fellows and make his art an expression of the whole life of the community.”

“It never seems to occur to people that a man might just want to write a piece of music.”

“The art of music above all other arts is the expression of the soul of a nation.”

“I don't know if I like it, but it's what I meant.”

“Why should we not enter into our inheritance and use it for the benefit of the community?”

“There is no reason why an atheist could not write a good Mass.”

“Art, like life, is an adventure, a journey through the unknown.”

“The object of the artist is to invent beauty.”

“Music does not grow out of trees.”

“I don't think I'm a composer. I'm a collector of tunes.”