Arthur Sullivan

"One day work is hard, and another day it is easy; but if I had waited for inspiration I am afraid I should have done nothing. The miner does not sit at the top of the shaft waiting for the coal to come bubbling up to the surface. One must go deep down, and work out every vein carefully."

"After all we [have] each of us only eight notes to work upon."

"The theatre is not the place for the musician. When the curtain is up the music interrupts the actor, and when it is down the music interrupts the audience."

"I am astonished and somewhat terrified at the results of this evening's experiments – astonished at the wonderful power you have developed, and terrified at the thought that so much hideous and bad music may be put on record forever! … I think it is the most wonderful thing that I have ever experienced, and I congratulate you with all my heart on this wonderful discovery."

"Goss and Bennett…trained him to make Europe yawn; and he took advantage of their training to make London and New York laugh and whistle."

"We shall never know of the numbers of "mute and inglorious Miltons" who failed because the place and time were not ready for them…Was not Sullivan a jewel in the wrong setting?"