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
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.
In practice
In a motivational speech about pursuing one's passion, I might quote Martha Graham to inspire the audience.
The body says what words cannot.
Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather to all who can read it.
What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.
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.
The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body.
Whatever precautions you take so the photograph will look like this or that, there comes a moment when the photograph surprises you. It is the other's gaze that wins out and decides.
I have a great body, I really do. But I want to be taken seriously as an artist, and wearing anything that shows it off will be a distraction from the music. That's how my signature uniform, my tuxedo, came about. It's classic and timeless. You'll see me in black, white, and a pop of color on my lips. That pop adds a little magic.
Acting, to me, is about the incredible adventure of examining the landscape of human heart and soul. That's basically what we do.
All these tales of people sitting down and composing symphonies just as though they were writing a letter are very much exaggerated; at least, it isn't that way in my work.
I am performing this role of the artist and this role of the 'negress' coming into a white-box institution. It's kind of a self-appointed role: the self-designated negress.
I think the experience of going to a theater and seeing a movie with a lot of people is still part of the transformational power of the film, and it's equivalent to the old shaman telling a story by the campfire to a bunch of people.
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