In his liner notes to this recording [Tabula Rasa], Wolfgang Sander quotes Arvo Part relating a conversation he had with a Russian Orthodox monk.
Part asked the monk what an artist can do to become better — write more prayers, for instance?.
The monk told him that he could do nothing:
“All the prayers have already been written. You don’t need to write any more. Everything has been prepared. Now you have to prepare yourself.”
— end —