“Before beginning, smash your hands thoroughly, so that they no longer function.

Then, attempt to play the Chopin chords. You will immediately notice that, with great effort and physical agony, you can almost sound a few of them.

In this way, you will come to know the difference between »actual hardship, and your petty, trivial concerns about the difficulties of ‘practice’ and ‘acquiring technique’.

This knowledge will serve you will in life, whether or not you ever actually learn to play the piano.”

— Beginning Piano, The Russian Method