The mirror is not you. The mirror is you looking at yourself.
George BalanchineRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the idea that creativity is often about assembling existing elements rather than creating something entirely new.
In this quote, George Balanchine expresses the notion that creativity is not solely an act of invention but rather a process of gathering and reinterpreting existing ideas and inspirations. He acknowledges that artists draw from the world around them, including the talents of others and the beauty they observe, to create new works, suggesting that collaboration and influence are integral to artistic expression.
Themes
CreativityArtInspirationCollaborationDance
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about creativity in art, I quoted Balanchine to show how artists influence one another.
More from George Balanchine
All quotes βFirst comes the sweat. Then comes the beauty if you're very lucky and have said your prayers.
George BalanchineRead
I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.
George BalanchineRead
Most ballet teachers in the United States are terrible. If they were in medicine, everyone would be poisoned.
George BalanchineRead
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
Similar quotes
It's simple: You get a part. You play a part. You play it well. You do your work and you go home. And what is wonderful about movies is that once they're done, they belong to the people. Once you make it, it's what they see. That's where my head is at.
Denzel WashingtonRead
Memories, impressions and emotions from the first 20 years on earth are most writers' main material; little that comes afterward is quite so rich and resonant.
John UpdikeRead
Music is my way out. I keep things locked up and never say anything. I guess in order to say something to one person, I have to sing it to a couple of thousand. It doesn't make for healthy relationships.
Florence WelchRead
I have become infected, now that I see how beautifully a book is coming out of all this.
Carl SandburgRead
I hope people don't compare 2D and 3D because 3D's new, it's unfair to compare to 2D which is really sophisticated, even when we're jaded about it. 3D just began, give it a chance, let the equipment and projection system catch up and be better, let the price go down, let more filmmakers get a hold of it more easily.
Ang LeeRead
Good actors I've worked with all started out making faces in a mirror, and you keep making faces all your life.
Bette DavisRead