Hence within the space of two generations there has been a complete revolution in the attitude of the trades-unions toward the women working in their trades.

It's amazing how fast generations lose sight of other generations. One of the first things the young composers who come to work with me say is that they want to write music people will like instead of gaining their credentials by being rejected by the audience.

The year I was born 1956 was the peak year for babies being born and there are more people essentially our age than anybody else. We could crush these new generations if we decided too.

I've an enormous respect for my mother who at the age of 39 raised three children and I grew up with my grandmother in the household. And so it was a really strong household of women - my poor brother! It was great growing up with so many generations of women.

Old age is far more than white hair wrinkles the feeling that it is too late and the game finished that the stage belongs to the rising generations. The true evil is not the weakening of the body but the indifference of the soul.