The body says what words cannot.
Martha GrahamRead
If I can't dance, I don't care if my dances are ever done again!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of passion and self-expression over external validation.
Martha Graham, a pioneering dancer and choreographer, highlights the idea that the act of dancing and the joy it brings is more important than the outcome or the recognition of one's dance. It suggests that true fulfillment comes from engaging in what one loves, rather than seeking approval or accolades from others.
Themes
DanceExpressionPassionArtFulfillment
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing one's passion, I might quote Martha Graham to inspire the audience.
More from Martha Graham
All quotes βNobody cares if you can't dance well.
Martha GrahamRead
Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather to all who can read it.
Martha GrahamRead
What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.
Martha GrahamRead
No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a strange, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.
Martha GrahamRead
The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body.
Martha GrahamRead
Similar quotes
What's important in the filmmaking process has stayed the same. Keep it small, keep it personal, keep it authentic, work with people you like and trust. That process is much longer than the filmmaking process. The development process is a long one, so try and say something of importance.
Simon BeaufoyRead
On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting.
Jackson PollockRead
He who pretends to be either painter or engraver without being a master of drawing is an imposter.
William BlakeRead
Can you appreciate music without playing it? Yes, you can. You can appreciate baseball without playing it. Many people attend a football game merely for the crowd, the excitement, the color.
Jascha HeifetzRead
I can't just make a song people can dance in a club to... it still has to be real.
Mary J. BligeRead
I can write with authority only about what I know well, which means that I end up using surface details of my own life in my fiction.
Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieRead