The mirror is not you. The mirror is you looking at yourself.
George BalanchineRead
I don't want people who want to dance; I want people who have to dance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the difference between those who enjoy dancing and those who feel a deep, intrinsic need to dance.
George Balanchine's quote highlights the passion and dedication that true artists possess. It suggests that exceptional talent is often driven by an inner compulsion rather than mere interest or desire, underscoring the importance of commitment and emotional connection in the pursuit of art.
Themes
DanceArtPassionDedicationCommitment
In practice
Example use cases
During a dance recital, this quote can be shared to inspire performers and audience alike.
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
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.
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
The challenge is to keep up with all the new poets at the same time I love the old ones.
Mary OliverRead
Of course I know that the twins are only words on a page, and I'm certainly not the sort of writer who talks to his characters or harbours any illusions about the creative process. But at the same time, I think it's juvenile and arrogant when literary writers compulsively remind their readers that the characters aren't real. People know that already. The challenge is to make an intelligent reader suspend disbelief, to seduce them into the reality of a narrative.
Michel FaberRead
Calligraphy of geese_x000D_ against the sky-_x000D_ the moon seals it.
Yosa BusonRead
The thought of continually eating something like macaroni, spat out by machinery, fills me with fear and revulsion, so I make macaroni sculptures. I make them and make them and then keep on making them, until I bury myself in the process. I call this 'obliteration.'
Yayoi KusamaRead
I've read a lot of really great characters in some really crappy stories, where I said, like, 'Boy I could shine here, but the story sucks.' I don't want to be part of that.
Matthew McconaugheyRead
I really admire stand-up, and I think I would have loved to learn how to do it. I think it's terrifying and thrilling. A really cool thing to do. It's a dying art, in a way.
Tina FeyRead