Quotes from Yanni

My music is based on melody and when I play the piano, it's as if I'm singing with them. When you try to transform that into a vocal, there was very little adjustment.

There is no gender to my music. There's no male or female voice, no trite lyrics or poetry. It's much more abstract, so it lives with you longer.

Creativity is an inherent human quality of the highest order. When we create, we become more than the sum of our parts.

I am so happy that I didn't go to school and I didn't have anyone to tell me how to position my fingers on the piano correctly. And what you do with music and what is the correct way to write it and what is not the correct way to write it.

My mother loved everyone she came in contact with. She always shared her love and was able to heal those around her with it.

I tend to avoid writing music about initial reactions to situations, like frustration or anger. I'd rather wait till I go through the problem, and write about the learning that took place.

As I understand life at different levels, I can use music to express what these levels feel like to me. Hopefully the listener can be transported to this understanding by listening to the music.

Music is like creating an emotional painting. The sounds are the colors.

I really and truly believe that music represents humanity's soul.

My goal is to connect with people emotionally. I take life's experiences and translate them into music — music that hopefully creates an impact on the listener.

When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.

I know that our world is going through a very difficult time right now, but I will never lose my faith in humanity, and our incredible ability to overcome just about anything.

The less you want, the richer you are. The more you need in order to be happy, the more miserable you'll be.

When you do music concerts at Taj Mahal and the Acropolis, you have to be careful about your performance being appropriate with the place that surrounds you. It has to be appropriate to the culture - it should fit the building behind you, the environment you are playing it in and the culture of that place.

Everything great that has ever happened to humanity has begun as a single thought in someone's mind, and if anyone of us is capable of such a thought, then all of us has the same capacity, capability, because we're all the same.

I know that our world is going through a very difficult time right now, but I will never lose my faith in humanity, and our incredible ability to overcome just about anything.

I tend to avoid writing music about initial reactions to situations, like frustration or anger. I'd rather wait till I go through the problem, and write about the learning that took place.

Creativity is an inherent human quality of the highest order. When we create, we become more than the sum of our parts.

A simple life is good with me. I don't need a whole lot. For me, a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, barefoot on the beach and I'm happy.

I am so happy that I didn't go to school and I didn't have anyone to tell me how to position my fingers on the piano correctly.

Music is art, and once you become an artist, you need to learn how to accept criticism.

We need to learn how to love each other. If we cannot do that, then we need to learn to respect one another. If we can't manage to do that, then we must learn to tolerate each other.

Sometimes we get caught up in our troubles and our problems and we let life slip away, but life is precious, all of life, and one must try to take in as much of it as possible.

A simple life is good with me. I don't need a whole lot. For me, a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, barefoot on a beach and I'm happy.