The body says what words cannot.
Martha GrahamRead
Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul's weather to all who can read it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Movement expresses our inner feelings and emotions, revealing true states of being.
Martha Graham suggests that movement is a profound form of communication that reflects our internal emotional states. It is not merely physical motion; instead, it serves as an honest indicator of our spiritual and emotional weather, accessible to those capable of understanding its language.
Themes
MovementSoulTruthExpressionEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
In a dance recital where performers express their emotions through movement, this quote can highlight the power of physical expression.
More from Martha Graham
All quotes βNobody cares if you can't dance well.
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.
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The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body.
Martha GrahamRead
There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique, and if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, not how it compares with other expression. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.
Martha GrahamRead
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