"People often complain that music is too ambiguous, that what they should think when they hear it is so unclear, whereas everyone understands words. With me, it is exactly the opposite, and not only with regard to an entire speech but also with individual words"

In this quote, Felix Mendelssohn is discussing his distinct understanding of language and music. He suggests that while lots of people find music to be ambiguous and unpredictable in its meaning, he doesn't experience this exact same confusion. Instead, he discovers more ambiguity in language and private words, which can be understood in various methods depending on the context and speaker. Possibly Mendelssohn is recommending that his musical training has actually given him a nuanced understanding of expression and he uses this understanding to the way he interacts with words. In general, the quote highlights the ways in which language and music can be interpreted differently based upon our private experiences and perspectives.