10 Most Beautiful Thoughts by M. K. Čiurlionis on Love, Life, and Music

M. K. Čiurlionis is the most celebrated Lithuanian painter and composer of all time, whose works are not only widely known but have become a source of inspiration for many. We want to share the artist's most beautiful thoughts on life, music, creation, and love:

1. "Love is a moment, flashing with the splendor of all the suns and stars of the universe."

2. "To be a human being, must one necessarily wear a label stuck to one's forehead — that is, be a cobbler, an engineer, a priest, or a musician?"

3. "In the hour of creation, a composer must have but one thought and one desire. If you want to write a good sonata, drown yourself in it."

4. "Music is a messenger of God, sent to stir the gentlest and finest strings of our soul, to soothe hearts wearied by life's cares, and to drive out from them lies, vices, envy, and hatred."

5. "Solitude is my great teacher and friend."

6. "Love is a highway to the sun, paved with sharp diamonds, along which one must walk barefoot."

7. "Bachelorhood is a terrible thing. A life that is simply shameful, foolish, banal, reduced to nothing. If you wish to be a noble and useful person to your society, then first of all, marry (not at once, of course)."

8. "Time is a very important poem, played for me by an orchestra. Something keeps me from listening — I hear nothing. And it is a pity, for the composition goes on, and may soon come to an end. What you failed to hear will be lost forever. That composition is life, and it is played only once."

9. "But one must carry light within oneself, light of one's own, so as to shine in the darkness for all who stand upon the path, so that, seeing it, they too may find light within themselves and go their own way, and not remain standing in the dark."

10. "I would like to compose a symphony from the roar of the waves, from the mysterious speech of the age-old forest, from the twinkling of the stars, from our songs, and from my boundless longing."