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Benjamin Zander

Benjamin Zander Quotes

Conductor

Benjamin Zander is a renowned conductor known for his passion for music and profound impact on orchestras. Born on March 9, 1939, Zander began his musical journey with piano and later shifted to conducting. He is celebrated for his unique teaching methods and leadership style, dedicated to promoting classical music and inspiring people's love for it.

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All Possibility Ifs People Eye Jobs Knows Shining Differences Inspirational Leader

Famous Benjamin Zander Quotes

“There is no such thing as bad weather," he used to say, "only inappropriate clothing.”

Possibility Positive

Book:The Art of Possibility

Source: The Art of Possibility

“In the measurement world, you set a goal and strive for it. In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold.”

Inspirational Life Lessons

Book:The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

Source: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

“Right. So if the eyes are shining, you know you're doing it. If the eyes are not shining, you get to ask a question. And this is the question: who am I being that my players' eyes are not shining? We can do that with our children, too. Who am I being, that my children's eyes are not shining? That's a totally different world.”

Inspirational Power Possibility

Author:Benjamin Zander

“My job is to awaken possibility in other people.”

People Jobs Possibility

Author:Benjamin Zander

“how absurd human beings are and how magnificent.”

Humans Human Beings Absurd Magnificent

Book:The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

Source: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

“It is the tuning of the universe... It's as if at the beginning of the symphony God turns up the volume just a tiny bit.”

Ifs Turns Universe Bits Tiny Volume Symphony Tuning

Author:Benjamin Zander

“I make myself a relentless architect of the possibilities of human beings.”

Humans Human Beings Possibility Architect Relentless

Author:Benjamin Zander

“It's not a question of how much power you can hoard for yourself, but how much you can give away.”

Author:Benjamin Zander

“If you make a mistake, celebrate.”

Ifs Mistake Celebrate

Author:Benjamin Zander

“My job [is] to awaken possibility in other people. If their eyes are shining, you know you're doing it. If they're not shining you get to ask this question: "Who am I being that my children's eyes are not shining?"”

People Ifs Knows Children Eye Jobs Asks Possibility Shining My Children

Author:Benjamin Zander

“As leaders, we're giving out grades in every encounter we have with people. We can choose to give out grades as an expectation to live up to, and then we can reassess them according to performance. Or we can offer grades as a possibility to live into. The second approach is much more powerful.”

People Giving Powerful Leader Possibility Offers Approach Expectations Performances Encounters Grades

Author:Benjamin Zander

“When you make a mistake, throw your hands in the air and say "How fascinating!"”

Hands Mistake Air Fascinating Hands In The Air

Author:Benjamin Zander

“Live the rest of your life in possibility”

Possibility Rest Of Your Life

Author:Benjamin Zander

“Imagine Martin Luther King saying, 'I have a dream ... But I don't know if the others will buy it.'”

Ifs Knows Dream Imagine Kings Luther

Author:Benjamin Zander

“I'm so sorry for you; your lives have been so easy. You can't play great music unless your heart's been broken.”

Heart Has Beens Play Easy Broken Sorry Great Music I'm So Sorry

Book:The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

Source: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

“The major difference between the 'best' and the 'average' is that the 'best' get as much pleasure from practice as performance.”

Differences Pleasure Practice Learning Teaching Majors Performances Average

Author:Benjamin Zander

“In the measurement world, we set a goal and strive to achieve it. In the universe of possibility, we set the context and let life unfold.”

World Universe Goal Achieve Possibility Strive Setting Goals Measurement

Author:Benjamin Zander

“Life is revealed as a place to contribute and we as contributors. Not because we have done a measurable amount of good, but because that is the story we tell.”

Done Stories Life Is Amount Contributors

Book:The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

Source: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

“How often do we stand convinced of the truth of our early memories, forgetting that they are assessments made by a child? We can replace the narratives that hold us back by inventing wiser stories, free from childish fears, and, in doing so, disperse long-held psychological stumbling blocks.”

Children Long Made Stories Memories Forget Convinced Block Psychological Narrative Wiser Inventing Assessment Stumbling Stumbling Blocks

Book:The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

Source: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

“It’s one of the characteristics of a leader that he not doubt for one moment the capacity of the people he’s leading to realize whatever he’s dreaming. Imagine if Martin Luther King had said, ‘I have a dream. Of course, I’m not sure they’ll be up to it.”

People Ifs Said Moments Dream Courses Realizing Leader Doubt Imagine Kings Capacity Not Sure Characteristics Luther

Author:Benjamin Zander

“The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful.”

People Inspirational Inspiration Motivation Sound Ability Powerful Music Power Depends Orchestra Conductor Powerful Inspirational

Author:Benjamin Zander

“Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why.”

May Differences Accepting Making A Difference

Book:The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

Source: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

“Look at their eyes. If their eyes are shining, you know you're doing it.”

Ifs Knows Looks Eye Shining Shining Eyes

Author:Benjamin Zander

“This is the moment — this is the most important moment right now. Which is: We are about contribution. That’s what our job is. It’s not about impressing people. It’s not about getting the next job. It’s about contributing something.”

People Important Moments Jobs Next Right Now Contribution Impress Contributing Important Moments

Author:Benjamin Zander

“Who am I being that my players' eyes are not shining?”

Eye Player Shining

Author:Benjamin Zander

“I have a definition of success.”

Definitions Definition Of Success

Author:Benjamin Zander

“South Africa is a country built on possibility. Possibility lies in making a difference and creating value from a situation - without denying that certain issues exist.”

Country Lying Certain Values Differences Situation Issues Possibility Creating Built South Making A Difference South Africa Creating Value

Author:Benjamin Zander

“The job of the leader is to speak to the possibility.”

Jobs Speak Leadership Leader Vision Possibility Hospitality

Author:Benjamin Zander

“Everybody loves classical music they just don't know about it yet.”

Knows Classical Music

Author:Benjamin Zander

“I have a definition of success. For me it's very simple. It's not about wealth and fame and power. It's about how many shining eyes I have around me.”

Eye Wealth Simple Fame Shining Definitions Definition Of Success Shining Eyes

Author:Benjamin Zander

About the Author

Born: March 9, 1939
Known for: Conductor
Quotes: 30

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Possibility Ifs People Eye Jobs Knows Shining Differences Inspirational Leader

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Books & Sources

The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal LifeRelated source material

The Art of PossibilityRelated source material

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