Every person with a disability has a slightly different kind of disability. Not everybody has the same problems. Usually the wheelchairs are the wheelchairs. It's the same height and so on. It's a problem. Itzhak Perlman More Quotes by Itzhak Perlman More Quotes From Itzhak Perlman I find personally that when I go to a place where I can't get in, I feel hostility from whatever it is, a hotel, a shop, a market, a street corner where there are no curb cuts, because somebody forgot to put them in, and where I have to go two blocks to the corner to do it. A lot of the excuses are, "Well, this is an old building." That's my favorite one. "This is an old building." It's as though 50 years ago, people with disabilities did not exist. As if the disabled are a new problem. It has always been a problem. Itzhak Perlman block cutting years When you talk about a million bucks, if you think about it very carefully, it's not that much money, if you start to divide it. You have to figure out a philosophy as to whom you want to give it to. Itzhak Perlman giving philosophy thinking Believe me, I've had interviews where the person says, "So when did you start and why? What about your parents?" I say to them, "Please, have you heard of the word Google?" Itzhak Perlman google parent believe Life is not as easy as it could be for a person with a disability. Itzhak Perlman disability life-is easy I don't know if it's ever happened to you, but it's one of my funniest and saddest experiences, when you go into a hotel, and they have an accessible walk-in shower. So you go in and open the curtain, and there is a bench off to the side of the shower. However, the shower is rectangular. On one side there's a bench, but the faucets are across from you. So if you sit on the bench, you cannot reach the faucets. Itzhak Perlman benches showers sides Preparing for a future in music is an expensive proposition. Itzhak Perlman propositions preparing music-is I do three things. I do teaching, I do conducting and I do playing. And each one of those sort of helps the other. Itzhak Perlman three teaching helping I listen to kids play a lot. Itzhak Perlman play kids I couldn't only do one thing--I don't want the personal hell of oneness. Itzhak Perlman oneness hell want So many things can drive you mad as a child, not only music. Itzhak Perlman mad children In Paris they have special wheelchairs that go through every doorway. They don't change the doorways, they change the wheelchairs. To hell with the people! If someone weighs a couple more pounds, that's it! Itzhak Perlman paris couple people This machine, the wheelchair, I can go all over the place, but you need a place without stairs to get in. Itzhak Perlman stairs machines needs There is nothing like a fine Italian sound. Itzhak Perlman fine italian sound I feel that you always pay when you are a child. Itzhak Perlman feels pay children Sometimes you get from the mouth of kids wonderful things. Itzhak Perlman mouths sometimes kids There are people who are uncanny, who are finished products at a young age. I wasn't, thank God. Itzhak Perlman thank-god age people A lot of people like to think that polio was a inspiration in what I do. I think that music has to do with what kind of passion do you have. Itzhak Perlman passion inspiration thinking I can't walk very well, but I'm not onstage to do walking. I'm on the stage to play. Itzhak Perlman stage walks play I don't walk on stage unless I'm playing with a orchestra. But when I play a recital, I'm sort of on a scooter, and I just scoot very quickly on stage, and they're saying, wow, look at this. He's so fast. Itzhak Perlman orchestra play looks The thing is that what you try to do when you play is you try to play not below a certain level. In other words, it can be a special day where it would be phenomenal, but if it's not below a certain level, that's the goal. You know, that's what you want to do. That's why you practice and so on. Itzhak Perlman goal practice play