I would like to be Maria, but there is Las Callas who demands that I carry myself with her dignity. An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I've left the opera house. If I have stepped on some people at times because I am at the top, it couldn't be helped. What should I do if someone gets hurt ... retire? You are born an artist or you are not. And you stay an artist, dear, even if your voice is less of a firework. The artist is always there. Love is so much better when you're not married. My poor sight gives me an advantage. I can't see the people in the audience who are scratching their heads while I am lost in my role and giving everything I have to the drama. On stage, I am in the dark. Real friends are very special, but you have to be careful because sometimes you have a friend and you think they are made of rock, then suddenly you realise they're only made of sand. Some say I have a beautiful voice, some say I have not. It is a matter of opinion. All I can say, those who don't like it shouldn't come to hear me. That is the difference between good teachers and great teachers: good teachers make the best of a pupil's means; great teachers foresee a pupil's ends. | 
