You wake up white, and you think about certain things every day. You wake up black, and you think about certain things. You wake up Chinese, and you think certain things - but those things aren't major. What's major is that you are good at your craft.
Interpretation
The quote highlights how identity influences our daily thoughts, while emphasizing the importance of excellence in one's work over racial or cultural identity.
Judith Jamison's quote points out the inherent differences in how individuals from various backgrounds may perceive the world and their place in it. It suggests that while identity and race can shape daily thoughts and experiences, the true essence of a person lies in their skills and dedication to their craft. The quote encourages the recognition of one's own talents and contributions regardless of their background, reinforcing the idea that personal excellence transcends cultural or racial contexts.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to emphasize the importance of skills over identity.
As a dancer, you really try to stay true to whatever the choreographer/artistic director is giving you. So, now the shoe is on the other foot and I have to trust everyone else - I have to trust the dancer. As I was trusted as a dancer, I trust my dancers.
It's never too early to teach your children about the tool of money. Teach them how to work for it and they learn pride and self-respect. Teach them how to save it and they learn security and self-worth. Teach them how to be generous with it and they learn love.
We can go on talking about racism and who treated whom badly, but what are you going to do about it? Are you going to wallow in that or are you going to create your own agenda?
I've always felt that complement of opposites: body and soul, solitude and companionship, and in the dance studio, contraction and release, rise and fall.
You don't enter a dance studio and say "I can't do that." If you do, then why are you in the studio in the first place?
Maybe it's a generational thing, but I never wanted to be the best black dancer in the world. I just wanted to be the best.
I believe if God doesn't give you a miracle, you are a miracle of God for somebody else's salvation.
Every action done by nature is done in the shortest way.
A lot of women ask themselves why they should bring a child into the world? So that it will be hungry, so that it will be cold, so that it will be betrayed and humiliated, so that it will be slaughtered by war or disease? They reject the hope that its hunger will be satisfied, its cold warmed, that loyalty and respect will accompany it through life, that it will be a devote a life to the effort to eliminate war and disease.
We lose many things simply out of our fear of losing them.
The best government is that which teaches us to govern ourselves.
Take notice not only of the mercies of God, but of God in the mercies. Mercies are never so savoury as when they savour a Saviour.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.