Glenn Gould Quotes in Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993)

Glenn Gould: I don't know what the effective ratio would be but I've always had a sort of intuition that for every hour you spend with other human beings, you need X number of hours alone. Now what that X represents, I don't really know, whether it be 2 and 7/8ths or 7 and 2/8ths, but it's a substantial ratio.

[last lines]

Glenn Gould: [voiceover] In the fall of 1977, the US government sent two ships, Voyagers 1 and 2, into space, where they are eventually destined to reach the edge of our galaxy. In the hope that someone, somewhere, would intercept these craft, a variety of messages were placed on board, that would be capable of communicating the existence of an intelligent creature, living on a planet called Earth. Among these was included a short prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach, as performed by Glenn Gould. Voyagers 1 and 2 left our solar system, respectively, in 1987 and 1989.

Glenn Gould: Wanted: friendly, companionably reclusive, socially unacceptable, alcoholically abstemious, tirelessly talkative, zealously unzealous, spiritually intense, minimally turquoise, maximally ecstatic moon, seeks moth or moths with similar qualities for purposes of telephonic seduction, Tristanesque trip-taking, and permanent flame-fluttering, no photos required, financial status immaterial, all ages and non-competitive vocations considered, applicants should furnish sets of sample conversation with notarized certification of marital disinclination, references re: low decibel vocal consistency, itinerary and sample receipts from previous successfully completed out-of-town moth flights, all submissions treated confidentially...

[first lines]

Glenn Gould: [voiceover] My mother tells me that by five years old I had decided definitively to become a concert pianist. I think she had decided some time earlier. The story goes that while I was in the womb she played the piano continuously to give me a head start, and evidently it paid off. My mother was my first teacher, and I've never doubted her methods. After all, she introduced me to Bach.