Age and creativity – funny how we look at things wearing distorting lenses. Here are some words of Pablo Casals. I find them so relevant for myself. And yes, I’m a teenager – only 67!
I discovered the quotes through Maria Popova’s great work. And here’s Casal’s playing the Song of Birds and his impressive words at the United Nations from which he received the Peace Medal. In 1958 he received a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
“But age is a relative matter. If you continue to work and to absorb the beauty in the world about you, you find that age does not necessarily mean getting old. At least, not in the ordinary sense. I feel many things more intensely than ever before, and for me life grows more fascinating.”
“I see no particular merit in the fact that I was an artist at the age of eleven. I was born with an ability, with music in me, that is all. No special credit was due me. The only credit we can claim is for the use we make of the talent we are given. That is why I urge young musicians: “Don’t be vain because you happen to have talent. You are not responsible for that; it was not of your doing. What you do with your talent is what matters. You must cherish this gift. Do not demean or waste what you have been given. Work — work constantly and nourish it.”