--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's very important for me to really use…" description: "\"It's very important for me to really use this body as a barometer of a certain kind of knowledge--to take the personal risk of exposing my own body in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/carrie-mae-weems-24837_asks_it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use_1357404.png" --- # It's very important for me to really use this body as a… ![“It's very important for me to really use this body as a barometer of a certain kind of knowledge--to take the personal risk of exposing my own body in a certain kind of way. I can't ask anybody else to do something that I don't do first myself.” quote by Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/carrie-mae-weems-24837_asks_it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use_1357404.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/carrie-mae-weems-24837_asks_it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use_1357404.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/carrie-mae-weems-24837_asks_it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use_1357404.png) > “It's very important for me to really use this body as a barometer of a certain kind of knowledge--to take the personal risk of exposing my own body in a certain kind of way. I can't ask anybody else to do something that I don't do first myself.” [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She stresses using one's own body as a test of knowledge, taking personal risk before asking others to act. **In simple terms:** Use your body to test ideas before urging others. Key Takeaway Lead by example, embody your message. Themes authenticity embodiment leadership Mood reflective determined Type inspirational ethical When to use this quote - teaching workshops - performance art - activist campaigns - team training Key Concepts ethical practice personal risk body politics Questions to Reflect On - How does embodying a message affect its credibility? - What risks are acceptable when modeling behavior? A Different Perspective Personal risk may limit participation for those with physical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) ## Related quotes > [You have to be willing to look a certain way, and hold your body a certain way, until you get to where you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-marie/you-have-to-be-willing-to-look-a-certain-way-and-hold-your-body-a/) [Rene Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-marie/) > [It is okay, I believe it is not wrong for the industry or the audience to think that a lead actress must look a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghana-raj/it-is-okay-i-believe-it-is-not-wrong-for-the-industry-or-the-audience/) [Meghana Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghana-raj/) > [I can eat healthy when I want to, and I can work out every single day, and I can have the body for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gigi-hadid/i-can-eat-healthy-when-i-want-to-and-i-can-work-out-every-single-day/) [Gigi Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gigi-hadid/) > [Something about being a dancer connects you to your physical body. It's primal, earthy, sexual energy by nature. You feel your body in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-dewan/something-about-being-a-dancer-connects-you-to-your-physical-body-it/) [Jenna Dewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-dewan/) > [“The soul aids the body, and at certain moments, raises it. It is the only bird which bears up its own cage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-soul-aids-the-body-and-at-certain-moments-raises-it-it-is-the/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [The only thing I use my body for is to carry my brain around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-only-thing-i-use-my-body-for-is-to-carry-my-brain-around/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Black people use body lotion every single day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/black-people-use-body-lotion-every-single-day/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [ You think of it \[voicing\] as something where you not only don't //need// your body, but you don't even have it to use! There's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/you-think-of-it-voicing-as-something-where-you-not-only-don-t-need/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [When you practice yoga regularly, you get more then you will from jogging on the treadmill catching up on the last season of 'Lost.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-stiles/when-you-practice-yoga-regularly-you-get-more-then-you-will-from/) [Tara Stiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-stiles/) > [It's amazing that we can even do this - to use part of the body of someone who has passed on to help someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-palmer/it-s-amazing-that-we-can-even-do-this-to-use-part-of-the-body-of/) [Carson Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-palmer/) > [“Use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/use-your-whole-body-as-a-tool-to-do-what-is-right-for-the-glory-of-god/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Without liberty I have nothing left to use except my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-khan/without-liberty-i-have-nothing-left-to-use-except-my-body/) [Imran Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-khan/) > [Because I'm fairly big, I like to use my body. So I'll control the ball, even when there's a player on me, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pogba/because-i-m-fairly-big-i-like-to-use-my-body-so-i-ll-control-the-ball/) [Paul Pogba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pogba/) > [“This is probably just his new assignment, getting close to you so he can use you for information about the Council." "Actually, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/this-is-probably-just-his-new-assignment-getting-close-to-you-so-he/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [Before I was acting, I was extremely athletic and for a lot of time in my life, I didn't know how to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/y-lan-noel/before-i-was-acting-i-was-extremely-athletic-and-for-a-lot-of-time-in/) [Y'lan Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/y-lan-noel/) ## More by Carrie Mae Weems > [My father was very interested in music, and when he and his brothers were young, they had a singing group that used to open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/my-father-was-very-interested-in-music-and-when-he-and-his-brothers/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [In terms of digital photography, I continue to print and use film for the most part. I still shoot with film, 21/4 film specifically,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/in-terms-of-digital-photography-i-continue-to-print-and-use-film-for/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [I don't like directing a lot of people. So trying to keep things really simple and elegant is my preferred way of working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/i-don-t-like-directing-a-lot-of-people-so-trying-to-keep-things/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [I didnt know photography would take me to the places that it has taken me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/i-didnt-know-photography-would-take-me-to-the-places-that-it-has/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [I come from a family of Mississippi sharecroppers just a few generations away from slavery, and I experienced a lot of racism growing up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/i-come-from-a-family-of-mississippi-sharecroppers-just-a-few/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [I've been busy for a long, long time. I've received a ton of awards in the past few years ... I think they're really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/i-ve-been-busy-for-a-long-long-time-i-ve-received-a-ton-of-awards-in/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [“Art is the one place we all turn to for solace. We turn to it constantly, whether you are listening to music, or pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/art-is-the-one-place-we-all-turn-to-for-solace-we-turn-to-it/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [I really like the structure of my body. It moves well, it looks good, it photographs well, it understands gesture and nuance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/i-really-like-the-structure-of-my-body-it-moves-well-it-looks-good-it/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [You know, artists are influenced by other artists. We're all deeply influenced by what's around us; we don't make anything cold. Sometimes we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/you-know-artists-are-influenced-by-other-artists-we-re-all-deeply/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [Suddenly this camera, this thing, allowed me to move around the world in a certain kind of way, with a certain kind of purpose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/suddenly-this-camera-this-thing-allowed-me-to-move-around-the-world/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [How you get work done is by exploiting yourself and your feelings, and sometimes people get in the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/how-you-get-work-done-is-by-exploiting-yourself-and-your-feelings-and/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [It's fair to say that black folks operate under a cloud of invisibility - this too is part of the work, is indeed central…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/it-s-fair-to-say-that-black-folks-operate-under-a-cloud-of/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [Sometimes my work needs to be photographic, sometimes it needs words, sometimes it needs to have a relationship to music, sometimes it needs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/sometimes-my-work-needs-to-be-photographic-sometimes-it-needs-words/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [Art is the one place we all turn to for solace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/art-is-the-one-place-we-all-turn-to-for-solace/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [I got my first camera when I was 21 - my boyfriend gave it to me for my birthday - but at that point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/i-got-my-first-camera-when-i-was-21-my-boyfriend-gave-it-to-me-for-my/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) [Explore all 24 Carrie Mae Weems quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's very important for me to really use this body as a barometer of a certain kind of knowledge--to take the personal risk of exposing my own body in a certain kind of way. I can't ask anybody else to do something that I don't do first myself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carrie Mae Weems" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use-this-body-as-a-barometer-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use-this-body-as-a-barometer-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/carrie-mae-weems-24837_asks_it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use_1357404.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/carrie-mae-weems-24837_asks_it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use_1357404.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/700/carrie-mae-weems-24837_asks_it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use_1357404.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's very important for me to really use this body as a barometer of a certain kind of knowledge--to take…” — Carrie Mae Weems", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Carrie Mae Weems", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's very important for me to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use-this-body-as-a-barometer-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/it-s-very-important-for-me-to-really-use-this-body-as-a-barometer-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```