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First comes the sweat. Then comes the beauty if you're very lucky and have said your prayers.
George Balanchine
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Success requires hard work and dedication, often followed by fortunate outcomes.

This quote by George Balanchine emphasizes the importance of hard work ('sweat') as a precursor to achieving success and fulfillment ('beauty'). It suggests that while tireless effort is essential, luck and a positive mindset, represented by 'prayers', can play a significant role in attaining one's goals.

Themes

SweatBeautyHard WorkSuccessLuck

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can inspire students during finals week as they prepare for their exams.

More from George Balanchine

The mirror is not you. The mirror is you looking at yourself.
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I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.
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God creates, I do not create. I assemble and I steal everywhere to do it - from what I see, from what the dancers can do, from what others do.
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Most ballet teachers in the United States are terrible. If they were in medicine, everyone would be poisoned.
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One is born to be a dancer. No teacher can work miracles, nor will years of training make a good dancer of an untalented pupil. One may be able to acquire a certain technical facility, but no one can ever 'acquire an exceptional talent.' I have never prided myself on having an unusually gifted pupil. A Pavlova is no one's pupil but God's.
George BalanchineRead
The pointes for girls, I always say, have to be like an elephant's trunk; strong and yet flexible and soft.
George BalanchineRead

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