Quotes by Yo-Yo Ma

The thing that Ive always been slightly frustrated with, was that the idea of a CD is kind of confined to a material possession that you can put on a shelf. And the idea of music, for me, is always about both the communication and the sharing of content. And so the interactive part is missing.

People will ask, Are you famous? And I always answer, My mother thinks so.

My teacher, my great cello teacher Leonard Rose, was such a great cellist, and nurturing man, very patient. But I grew up not only admiring him, but obviously Casals, Rostrotovich, Jacqueline du Pre, and many others, including many of my peers and contemporaries.

I think there are so many ways to become interested in music. I believe signs of sustained interest gives a sense of the right time. Music, if thought of as a language, would perhaps indicate that as early as possible is not so bad. I do believe that a really nurturing first teacher that makes the child love something is crucial.

I think all musicians have at one time or another experienced one physical problem or another. I have had tendinitis a couple of times, so I try to be really careful. It takes patience and persistence to overcome injury.

As you begin to realize that every different type of music, everybodys individual music, has its own rhythm, life, language and heritage, you realize how life changes, and you learn how to be more open and adaptive to what is around us.

I think of a piece of music as something that comes alive when it is being performed, and I feel that my role in the transmission of music is to be its best advocate at that moment.

The tango is really a combination of many cultures, though it eventually became the national music of Argentina.

Music has always been transnational; people pick up whatever interests them, and certainly a lot of classical music has absorbed influences from all over the world.

I love grocery shopping when Im home. Thats what makes me feel totally normal. I love both the idea of home as in being with my family and friends, and also the idea of exploration. I think those two are probably my great interests.

I think one of the great things about being a musician is that you never stop learning.

Mastering music is more than learning technical skills. Practicing is about quality, not quantity. Some days I practice for hours; other days it will be just a few minutes.

The role of the musician is to go from concept to full execution. Put another way, its to go from understanding the content of something to really learning how to communicate it and make sure its well-received and lives in somebody else.

Good things happen when you meet strangers.

Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if youre passionate about something, then youre more willing to take risks.

Things can fall apart, or threaten to, for many reasons, and then theres got to be a leap of faith. Ultimately, when youre at the edge, you have to go forward or backward; if you go forward, you have to jump together.

I think that peace is, in many ways, a precondition of joy.

I think anybody who goes away finds you appreciate home more when you return.