When we speak of musical geniuses, it is likely that one of the first names that comes to mind is that of the great Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827).

Born in Bonn, Germany, he is considered one of the most influential classical musicians with an extensive body of work as a composer, conductor and pianist.

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Beethoven’s famous phrases

An essential musician of Romanticism, Beethoven made the music lovers of his time vibrate with his symphonies.

In the final stages of his career, he lost his hearing and transcended into popular culture to compose one of his most famous works, the Ninth Symphony, guided only by his instinct, but he was never able to listen to his musical composition.

In today’s article we will learn the best phrases of Beethoven , as well as his famous quotes that have reached us through the centuries.

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1. Genius is made up of two percent talent and ninety-eight percent persevering application.

It is not only necessary to have a good inspiration, but to implement it with perseverance.

2. Act instead of begging. Sacrifice yourself without hope of glory or reward! If you want to know the miracles, do them yourself first. Only then can your peculiar destiny be fulfilled.

Another phrase from Beethoven that encourages us to strive every day to the best of our abilities.

3. The barriers have not yet been raised that say to the genie, “You shall not pass from here.

Nothing is more indestructible than the creative mind of a genius.

4. Do what is necessary to achieve your most ardent desire, and you will end up achieving it.

A motivating phrase like few others that exhorts us to go all the way in every purpose we have.

5. Make other men happy: there is nothing better or more beautiful.

On his greatest reward: public recognition.

6. Never break the silence if not to improve it.

A curious famous quote coming from a sound genius like Beethoven.

7. There are moments when I think language is still absolutely useless.

Human communication is sometimes so complex…

8. Music should make blood flow from the heart of man, and tears from the eyes of woman.

A somewhat sexist phrase by Beethoven about the emotions that music should arouse according to the sex of the viewer.

9. A kind word doesn’t make you lose anything.

Good form always pays off.

10. Architecture is a music of stones and music is an architecture of sounds.

A curious parallelism that explains his vision of these two artistic disciplines.

11. I’ll take fate by the scruff of the neck. It will not dominate me.

Proof of his tremendous vitality.

12. Recommend your children to be virtuous, only virtue can bring happiness, not money.

A life lesson from the German genius.

13. Let us consider difficulties as stepping stones to a better life.

Another reflection in an optimistic and vital tone.

14. The only symbol of superiority I know is kindness.

A paradox that reveals the good work in their personal relationships.

15. May friendship, along with goodness, grow like the shadow of night until the sun of life is extinguished.

One of those friendship phrases that can help us reconcile with the world.

16. Resignation! What a sad word! And yet it’s the only refuge left.

A famous quote from Beethoven that he uttered when he could no longer hear his own tunes.

17. You are a prince by chance, by birth; as for me, I am by myself. There are thousands of princes and there will be, but Beethoven there is only one.

A display of arrogance for some; a challenge to the status quo for others.

18. Don’t trust your secret even to your closest friend; you couldn’t ask him for discretion if you haven’t had it yourself.

Certainly, if we are not able to keep discretion, it will be difficult for others to do so for us.

19. Music is a higher revelation than any philosophy.

His concept of musical art, at the top of the pyramid.

20. Friends are not only united when they are next to each other; even the one who is far away is still present in our thoughts.

Nice phrase to reflect on friendship, even when there’s distance in between.

21. For you, poor Beethoven, there is no happiness in the world, you have to create it in yourself. Only in the regions of the ideal can you find friends.

In a letter to Gleichestein, Beethoven expressed his feelings in this way.

22. Divine Creator, you who can look into the depths of my soul, know that there lives the love for man and the desire to do good.

A thought addressed to God.

23. Everyone who acts uprightly and nobly can therefore bear misfortune.

A life governed by ethics is always happier than opulence achieved through moral misery.

24. It is the same rain that makes brambles and thorns grow in the uncultivated earth, and flowers in the gardens.

A very clarifying metaphor, which can be applied, for example, to the world of education.

25. With men who do not believe in me, I cannot and will not associate.

About trust and how any business opportunity should be built on it.

26. It is curious to see how as theoretical freedoms increase, practical freedoms decrease.

Reflection in a pessimistic tone on the political and normative changes of his time.

27. With whom should I be afraid to measure my strength?

Another phrase by Beethoven in a grandiloquent tone.

28. Rossini would have been a great composer if his music teacher had spanked his ass.

A scathing commentary on another composer of the time.

29. Beethoven can write music, thank God, but he can’t do anything else on earth.

About himself, in a show of humility.

30. Those who think or say that I am evil, stubborn or misanthropic, how much they are wrong about me.

Another sentence by Ludwig van Beethoven in which he reflects on his public image.

31. It is an ignoble man who does not know how to die. I’ve known it since I was fifteen.

Reflection on dignity, especially in the last stages of life.

32. But how is it possible to play for such spoiled children?

About his unwillingness to perform music for people he didn’t like.