--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a tap dancer as a child, so I…" description: "\"I was a tap dancer as a child, so I understand precision and repetition.\" — Elliott Gould" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/elliott-gould-34272_children_i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-under_549718.png" --- # I was a tap dancer as a child, so I understand precision… ![“I was a tap dancer as a child, so I understand precision and repetition.” quote by Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/elliott-gould-34272_children_i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-under_549718.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/elliott-gould-34272_children_i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-under_549718.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/elliott-gould-34272_children_i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-under_549718.png) > “I was a tap dancer as a child, so I understand precision and repetition.” [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker connects childhood tap dancing experience to an appreciation for precise, repetitive work. **In simple terms:** Tap dancing taught precision. Key Takeaway Apply disciplined practice to master skills. Themes skill development discipline art Mood focused reflective Type motivational educational When to use this quote - music practice - sports training - craftsmanship Key Concepts Motor learning repetition theory Questions to Reflect On - How does repetition foster mastery? - When might it hinder innovation? A Different Perspective Precision alone may stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancer/) [Precision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precision/) [Tap dancers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tap-dancers/) ## Related quotes > [I never wanted to be a painter; I wanted to be a tap dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-never-wanted-to-be-a-painter-i-wanted-to-be-a-tap-dancer/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I'm basically a hoofer, a tap dancer. I was always very good from the waist down, moving with the feet... I became what's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-connor/i-m-basically-a-hoofer-a-tap-dancer-i-was-always-very-good-from-the/) [Donald O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-connor/) > [A tap dancer is really a frustrated drummer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-powell/a-tap-dancer-is-really-a-frustrated-drummer/) [Eleanor Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-powell/) > [I trained in every form of dance - started as a tap dancer when I was a kid, then contemporary, ballet, ballroom, everything. Russian,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-lythgoe/i-trained-in-every-form-of-dance-started-as-a-tap-dancer-when-i-was-a/) [Nigel Lythgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-lythgoe/) > [I wanted to be a tap dancer when I was very young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/i-wanted-to-be-a-tap-dancer-when-i-was-very-young/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [I could have been a mediocre tap dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-hall/i-could-have-been-a-mediocre-tap-dancer/) [Brad Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-hall/) > [I'm a tap dancer. Once you're a tap dancer, you're always a tap dancer. In 'After Midnight,' I get to dance, but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dule-hill/i-m-a-tap-dancer-once-you-re-a-tap-dancer-you-re-always-a-tap-dancer/) [Dule Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dule-hill/) > [I would imagine that if you could understand Morse code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-would-imagine-that-if-you-could-understand-morse-code-a-tap-dancer/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I taught and studied dance in college, and for over a decade, I thought that would be my career: tap dancer, ballet dancer, modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-price/i-taught-and-studied-dance-in-college-and-for-over-a-decade-i-thought/) [Margo Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-price/) > [Tap dancers find it very difficult to do anything other than tap if that is all they have been trained in because, again, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-lythgoe/tap-dancers-find-it-very-difficult-to-do-anything-other-than-tap-if/) [Nigel Lythgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-lythgoe/) > [Work like you don't need the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/work-like-you-don-t-need-the-money/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [When I was a child I wanted to be Pope. My greatest disappointment is missing out on that. I also wanted to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/when-i-was-a-child-i-wanted-to-be-pope-my-greatest-disappointment-is/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [You get good at being by yourself and you're condemned to a life sentence of solitude. You think, "Wait a minute! I should have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/you-get-good-at-being-by-yourself-and-you-re-condemned-to-a-life/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I feel like people used to leave their homes and go to their local theatre, and they used to watch ballet dancers and musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-benanti/i-feel-like-people-used-to-leave-their-homes-and-go-to-their-local/) [Laura Benanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-benanti/) > [I wonder if tap dancers walk into a room, look at a floor and think, 'I'd so tap that.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wonder-if-tap-dancers-walk-into-a-room-look-at-a-floor-and-think-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Elliott Gould > [Groucho Marx, in his later days, gave me the best review I've ever had and probably will ever have. I changed a light bulb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/groucho-marx-in-his-later-days-gave-me-the-best-review-i-ve-ever-had/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [My greatest fear is to be misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/my-greatest-fear-is-to-be-misunderstood/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [My take on celebrity is simply that some of us have to make a bigger fool of ourselves than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/my-take-on-celebrity-is-simply-that-some-of-us-have-to-make-a-bigger/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [I thoroughly believe in evolution, and how we evolve and how our physical being is affected by time and use and by the environment...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/i-thoroughly-believe-in-evolution-and-how-we-evolve-and-how-our/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [There's nothing more arrogant or conceited than youth, and there's nothing other than machinery that can replace youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/there-s-nothing-more-arrogant-or-conceited-than-youth-and-there-s/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [I believe in evolution and I think when it comes to business and the roots of business and the fundamentals of business, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/i-believe-in-evolution-and-i-think-when-it-comes-to-business-and-the/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [No, no food. I want sex. Bring me some sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/no-no-food-i-want-sex-bring-me-some-sex/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [I was changing a light bulb over Groucho Marx's bed, so I took my shoes off, got on his bed and changed the bulb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/i-was-changing-a-light-bulb-over-groucho-marx-s-bed-so-i-took-my/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [My problem was I let myself become known before I knew myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/my-problem-was-i-let-myself-become-known-before-i-knew-myself/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [There's so many people dependent on our work for their living or their livelihood. You do something whether it works or whether it doesn't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/there-s-so-many-people-dependent-on-our-work-for-their-living-or/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [I do know people and there are people in my family who have had Alzheimer's and dementia, and I appreciate the importance of communication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/i-do-know-people-and-there-are-people-in-my-family-who-have-had/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [Quitters don't win and winners don't quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/quitters-don-t-win-and-winners-don-t-quit/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [I find it so easy to get distracted - I try not to do more than one thing at any one time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/i-find-it-so-easy-to-get-distracted-i-try-not-to-do-more-than-one/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) [Explore all 14 Elliott Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was a tap dancer as a child, so I understand precision and repetition.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elliott Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-understand-precision-and-repetition/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-understand-precision-and-repetition/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/elliott-gould-34272_children_i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-under_549718.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/elliott-gould-34272_children_i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-under_549718.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/elliott-gould-34272_children_i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-under_549718.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was a tap dancer as a child, so I understand precision and repetition.” — Elliott Gould", "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": "Elliott Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was a tap dancer as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-understand-precision-and-repetition/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/i-was-a-tap-dancer-as-a-child-so-i-understand-precision-and-repetition/#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 } } ] } ```