Mikhail Baryshnikov Quotes

99 quotes in 1068 categories

• I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.
• I think art education, especially in this country, which government pretty much ignores, is so important for young people.
• No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business.
• Dancers are stripped enough onstage. You don't have to know more about them than they've given you already.
• I really reject that kind of comparison that says, Oh, he is the best. This is the second best. There is no such thing.
• The more injuries you get, the smarter you get.
• To achieve some depth in your field requires a lot of sacrifices. Want to or not, you're thinking about what you're doing in life-in my…
• Dancing is my obsession. My life.
• Your body actually reminds you about your age and your injuries - the body has a stronger memory than your mind.
• I am not the first straight dancer or the last.
• People of art should never get married and have children, because it's a selfish experience.
• You cannot be happy with your family while being personally unhappy with your work. It's a Catch-22 kind of thing.
• I was very restless. I really wanted to be a part of a kind of a progressive society. I was fed up with these Communist…
• Every ballet, whether or not successful artistically or with the public, has given me something important.
• In the second part of life you get rid of stuff you've accumulated.
• A country like Belgium, or socialist countries in central Europe spend more money on art education than the United States, which is a really puzzling…
• Creative Artists Agency put together a project of extraordinary mediocrity and colossal stupidity. Otherwise, it was great.
• I get speeding ticket like everybody else. If the restaurant is full I'm waiting in line like everybody else.
• I like to go to anybody else's birthday, and if I'm invited I'm a good guest. But I never celebrate my birthdays. I really don't…
• Although I don't gamble in life - I've never played poker - I do gamble on stage. I gamble with myself: 'Can I do this?'

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