"A plague on eminence! I hardly dare cross the street anymore without a convoy, and I am stared at wherever I go like an idiot member of a royal family or an animal in a zoo; and zoo animals have been known to die from stares"

This quote by Igor Stravinsky speaks with the concern of fame and the difficulty of browsing public life when one is widely known. Stravinsky expresses his disappointment with the attention he receives, comparing himself to a member of a royal family or an animal in a zoo. He laments that he can hardly cross the street without a convoy, and that he is gazed at anywhere he goes. He indicates that the stares can be overbearing and even deadly, referencing zoo animals that have died from the stares of onlookers. This quote talks to the problem of living in the public eye and the toll it can handle one's mental and psychological health.