Beverly Sills

I never breathe through the nose, not when I’m singing. In the opera, you don’t have so much time. That’s fine at the beginning of an opera or after somebody else has been doing an aria, and you want to get a good fresh start.

Beverly Sills

I really do believe I can accomplish a great deal with a big grin, I know some people find that disconcerting, but that doesn’t matter.

Beverly Sills

I was always the first person in the theater all the time. If it was an eight-o’clock curtain, I was here at five-thirty, and it wasn’t that I needed to vocalize, because I was all warmed up. I couldn’t wait for it to begin.

Beverly Sills

In a sense, I revolutionized the operatic scene because I proved you can make a great international career without the Metropolitan. I’m the only singer who’s done that, and I’m proud of that, so it’s all worked out for the best.

Beverly Sills

It seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not, more important now was for me to love them.

Beverly Sills

Just sing it. Don’t prove you can sing it. I know you can, you know you can. So just do it, because if you try to prove it, you’ll lose.

Beverly Sills

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Beverly Sills

Opera is an extremely disciplined art form, and every excess a singer indulges in has a direct effect on the voice.

Beverly Sills

The press frequently sneers at the hype devoted to a superstar, but the press itself is responsible for all the hype.

Beverly Sills

There is a growing strength in women but it’s in the forehead, not the forearm. Men will always be attracted to women with nice soft arms and a fleshy bosom.

Beverly Sills