Sylvie Guillem

I do not want an animal to die for me.

— Sylvie Guillem

I judge myself severely.

— Sylvie Guillem

Terrorism is not a small problem.

— Sylvie Guillem

I work hard to make a gift to the audience.

— Sylvie Guillem

Dance should touch people.

— Sylvie Guillem

I cannot stand unfairness.

— Sylvie Guillem

I am very interested in nature.

— Sylvie Guillem

It is in my nature to be a little shy. It takes time for me to talk to people and trust them.

— Sylvie Guillem

Everything I do, I try to make it the best I can. So I go my own way and give it all…

— Sylvie Guillem

My reputation precedes me all the time, but I'm not the monster people think I am.

— Sylvie Guillem

I like creation even if it is a bit difficult. It is always very exciting.

— Sylvie Guillem

I am not nice. That has gotten me into a lot of trouble.

— Sylvie Guillem

My body is very nice to me. I have a lucky physique - I just don't take weight on.

— Sylvie Guillem

I don't think you can ever leave the stage easily.

— Sylvie Guillem

Working with a new style of choreography is always a period of adaptation.

— Sylvie Guillem

The first time I took a plane to dance in front of an audience outside France was when I was in the…

— Sylvie Guillem

As a child, I was afraid of everything. My parents were shy, the kind of people for whom it is an ordeal…

— Sylvie Guillem

I never dreamt of becoming a ballerina. I was just curious about it, it was something to explore.

— Sylvie Guillem

A drop of water can't stop a fire alone. But a drop of water, plus another one, plus another one, then you…

— Sylvie Guillem

As a professional ballet dancer, I have to accept that weekends are about work. The notion of a leisurely break with all…

— Sylvie Guillem

Ballet is hard enough when you go with it; when you have to force your body to do things, it is so…

— Sylvie Guillem

I'm not a social animal, and I had a reputation that came before me of being very difficult, of screaming at everybody,…

— Sylvie Guillem

If you start dancing too young, it can be torture. The bone is too soft, and it is going everywhere.

— Sylvie Guillem

I had no sense of having reached some goal because I was an etoile at the Paris Opera. My ambition, if you…

— Sylvie Guillem

'Swan Lake' can be a nightmare. To make a 'Swan Lake' that is worth it, every single movement and breath has to…

— Sylvie Guillem

When you are young, you can do anything, everything, and nothing at the same time. You don't have that kind of judgment;…

— Sylvie Guillem

While I enjoy it, I will continue to go onstage. While I contribute something, fine. I don't want to be dragging my…

— Sylvie Guillem

Animals feel pain and love and joy, just as humans. But in the industrialised meat, dairy, and egg industries, animals are denied…

— Sylvie Guillem

For someone like me, who as a kid could not have two people in front of me without wanting to hide, to…

— Sylvie Guillem

I think it's going to be the most difficult thing to do, to leave the stage. But if you have no lucidity…

— Sylvie Guillem

When I was 25, it was painful. I was getting out of bed in the morning and couldn't walk. But when you…

— Sylvie Guillem

I like creation even if the process is always a bit difficult.

— Sylvie Guillem

I am stronger as a vegan than I ever was with meat and dairy.

— Sylvie Guillem

I just don't like authority. I do like authority when I respect it.

— Sylvie Guillem

I am not a completely stubborn person. But I have views.

— Sylvie Guillem

To be free on stage, you need to have been disciplined.

— Sylvie Guillem

If I am out in the street or buying bread or taking a taxi, no one knows who I am.

— Sylvie Guillem

The problems I had with the Paris Opera Ballet are a thing of the past.

— Sylvie Guillem

Some choreographers have been cautious about working with me.

— Sylvie Guillem

I've learned to listen to what's going on with my body.

— Sylvie Guillem