I didn't even start dancing until I was in my thirties, and it was like flying.
I wanted to be Stan Laurel, then I wanted to be Fred Astaire and then Captain Kangaroo. I actually started out as a radio announcer when I was 17 and never left the business so that's literally 70 years.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects Dick Van Dyke's journey and evolution within the entertainment industry, showcasing his admiration for various entertainment figures.
In this quote, Dick Van Dyke expresses his lifelong passion for performance, highlighting the influential figures in entertainment who inspired him throughout his career. Starting as a young radio announcer, he points out the trajectory of his career that has spanned over 70 years, emphasizing both his dedication to his craft and his admiration for iconic entertainers like Stan Laurel, Fred Astaire, and Captain Kangaroo. This reflects a deep appreciation for the art of performance and the impact it has had on his life.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to young artists, one could use this quote to illustrate the importance of following one's inspirations.
More from Dick Van Dyke
All quotes →I get little kids who recognize me from 'Mary Poppins,' and it just delights me because it's our third generation.
Just knowing you don't have the answers is a recipe for humility, openness, acceptance, forgiveness, and an eagerness to learn - and those are all good things.
I never had a lot of drive, but because I had family responsibilities, I had a lot of tenacity - the tenacity of a drowning man.
Somebody asked what I wanted on my gravestone. I'm just going to put: 'Glad I Could Help.'
I was lucky to get the kinds of parts I wanted. I always said I didn't want to do anything my kids can't see.
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Artists are taught to be humble about their impact, especially in folk music. It's so ingrained that I have a hard time even thinking I had any impact other than what a normal hit song would have.
A few years back I was asked if I would go and meet a director and his various acolytes, and it occurred to me halfway through the meeting that what I was doing was auditioning. And I thought, 'Well, hang on buddy. I've done half a century of this.'
When I'm writing a book, I don't have any responsibility to anyone. I'm solitary. I'm writing on my own. I write by hand. And I write every day. I mean, it's part of my daily discipline.
You see, what is my purpose of performance artist is to stage certain difficulties and stage the fear the primordial fear of pain, of dying, all of which we have in our lives, and then stage them in front of audience and go through them and tell the audience, 'I'm your mirror; if I can do this in my life, you can do it in yours.'