I never step upon a stage without asking myself whether I will succeed in finishing the opera. The fact is that a conscientious singer is never sure of himself or of anything. He is ever in the hands of Destiny.
Enrico CarusoRead
It is too bad that the public expects from me, always, perfection which it is impossible for me always to attain. I am not a machine. I am a human being.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the unrealistic expectations placed on individuals, highlighting their human imperfections.
Enrico Caruso reflects on the pressures of public life, expressing that there is an inherent conflict between the expectation of perfection and the reality of being a flawed human. He acknowledges that he cannot always meet these lofty standards, reminding us that everyone has limitations and should be treated with understanding and compassion.
Themes
PerfectionHumanExpectationsPressureFlaws
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech addressing overworked employees, one might quote Caruso to emphasize the importance of self-compassion.
More from Enrico Caruso
All quotes →To become a singer requires work, work, and again, work! It need not be in any special corner of the earth; there is no one spot that will do more for you than other places. It doesn't matter so much where you are if you have intelligence and a good ear.
Enrico CarusoRead
It was he who impressed, time and again, the necessity of singing as nature intended, and - I remember - he constantly warned, don't let the public know that you work. So I went slowly. I never forced the voice.
Enrico CarusoRead
Similar quotes
Observation and thinking are the two points of departure for all the spiritual striving of man, insofar as he is conscious of such striving. The workings of common sense, as well as the most complicated scientific researches, rest on these two fundamental pillars of our spirit.
Rudolf SteinerRead
The devil is always discovering something novel against the truth.
Pope Leo IRead
It is necessary for him who would endure existence with patience that he should conceive himself to be something - that he should be persuaded he is not a cipher in the muster-roll of man.
William GodwinRead
No one thought up being. He who thinks he has, step forward.
Jim MorrisonRead
But you see, our society is still trapped in this binary, black/white logic and that has had some very positive implications for our generation. It's had some very negative ones as well and one of the negative ones is that it creates enormous identity problems for people who have one black ancestor and all white ancestors for example.
Henry Louis GatesRead
Modesty is the color of virtue.
DiogenesRead