My letters would give an entirely false picture of me. They always take on the tone that is best suited to the recipient.
(In personal recollections by Sibelius's secretary, Santeri Levas, 1960)

This is a strange diary. The mirror of a sensitive soul or – if you wish – a spittoon. I will definitely never become the great composer that I and Aino dreamt I would be.
(Diary, 11th February 1915)