At the age of 17, Shinichi Suzuki innocently hit the keys of a typewriter in an office at his father’s violin factory.  The owner of the typewriter entered the room and asked if he was pressing the keys without paper.  Suzuki quickly denied his actions, saying he was just looking at the typewriter.  

At that moment, he knew he had lied.  Wracked by his conscience, Suzuki sought relief at a local book store where he found The Diaries of Leo Tolstoy.  Later Suzuki wrote:

“Tolstoy said that one should not deceive oneself and that the voice of conscience is the voice of God. I determined to live according to these ideas.”

This podcast is all about the life of this amazing man.  See how Shinichi Suzuki lived The 7 Laws of Life Mission and, ultimately inspired people around the globe to become not just proficient violinists, but noble human beings!

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast.

1:25  Suzuki’s early life

5:00 Principles Suzuki learned from his father

7:15  Law 1:  Love of God

7:51  Suzuki discovers Tolstoy

14:24  “First character, and then ability”

15:10  Law 2:  Love of Self

16:20  Suzuki displays a strong character in high school

19: 40 Suzuki discovers his talents

21.40  Law 3:  Love of truth

21:52  Suzuki learns a financial principle through experience and commits to live it

24:47  Suzuki learns gratitude from his father when he visits a shrine with friends

26:10 Law 4:  Love of Humanity

27:57 Suzuki’s experiences in Germany

32.04  Law 5:  The Call

35:50  Law 6:  Courageously Execute

37:58  Law 7:  Do it again

Quotes from this episode:

 “[Tolstoy’s] Diary was always at my side. Wherever I went I took it with me. Several years later when, at twenty-three, I went to Germany to study, the book went with me in my pocket. Tolstoy said that one should not deceive oneself and that the voice of conscience is the voice of God. I determined to live according to these ideas.”~Shinichi Suzuki

“[The words ‘first character, and then ability] were inscribed on a tablet that hung in the lecture hall. This principle has been a light to my path all my life and is written on my heart.”~Shinichi Suzuki

“One trait that I continue to find in these great men and women is their ability to make and keep commitments to themselves.  They’re just amazing at their consistency in finding truth and then subitting to it and committing to it.”~Audrey Rindlisbacher

“'Sensei, will my boy amount to something?’ a mother asked. 'No,' [Suzuki replied]. 'He will not become something. He will become a noble person through his violin playing. Isn’t that good enough? You should stop wanting your child to become a professional, a good money earner. This thought is concealed in your question and is offensive. A person with a fine and pure heart will find happiness. The only concern for parents should be to bring up their children as noble human beings. That is sufficient. If this is not their greatest hope, in the end the child may take a road contrary to their expectations. Your son plays the violin very well. We must try to make him splendid in mind and heart also.’”~Shinichi Suzuki

“Close to thirty years have passed and all my former student friends today are fine adults, which fills me with deep, profound joy.”~Shinichi Suzuki

“People say that I am trying to do the impossible, and expending my energies for nothing. But I know that what I conceive is possible, and I believe that one day the human race will create the kind of world in which everyone will realize that children have the potential. That is why at the United Nations, after Casals had spoken on world peace, I appealed to the representatives of the nations of the w...