--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only time I feel pressured is when…" description: "\"The only time I feel pressured is when some woman's husband comes over and says, \"Will you go ask my wife to dance? She's a great dancer and would just..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/gene-kelly-11878_asks_the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-s_2019489.jpg" --- # The only time I feel pressured is when some woman's… ![“The only time I feel pressured is when some woman's husband comes over and says, "Will you go ask my wife to dance? She's a great dancer and would just love to dance with you."Suddenly there's a crowd of people standing around us and they expect that they're about to see Fred and Ginger. Here the…” quote by Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/gene-kelly-11878_asks_the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-s_2019489.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/gene-kelly-11878_asks_the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-s_2019489.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/gene-kelly-11878_asks_the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-s_2019489.jpg) > “The only time I feel pressured is when some woman's husband comes over and says, "Will you go ask my wife to dance? She's a great dancer and would just love to dance with you."Suddenly there's a crowd of people standing around us and they expect that they're about to see Fred and Ginger. Here the woman and I have just met, and these people think that it's showtime. That is the only time I think it is really embarrassing.” [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He feels pressure only when a social expectation forces a performance, turning a casual encounter into a public spectacle. **In simple terms:** Social pressure makes simple moments feel like a show. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity, ignore audience expectations. Themes social anxiety performance public expectation Mood nervous reflective Type observational anecdotal When to use this quote - first dates - networking events - public speaking - team presentations Key Concepts self-consciousness social dynamics improvisation Questions to Reflect On - How do you separate personal comfort from perceived audience expectations? - What small steps can you take to stay authentic under scrutiny? A Different Perspective Pressure can be mitigated by reframing the situation as a personal interaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancer/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [“Don't you hear it? She asked & I shook my head no & then she started to dance & suddenly there was music everywhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/don-t-you-hear-it-she-asked-i-shook-my-head-no-then-she-started-to/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Now there is in a way a renaissance of modern dance - suddenly, it is more respected and discovered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/now-there-is-in-a-way-a-renaissance-of-modern-dance-suddenly-it-is/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I'm not bragging but I used to be rather beautiful, with lovely legs, and people would always ask me to dance. But suddenly people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-brown/i-m-not-bragging-but-i-used-to-be-rather-beautiful-with-lovely-legs/) [June Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-brown/) > [When Ginger Rogers danced with Astaire, it was the only time in the movies when you looked at the man, not the woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/when-ginger-rogers-danced-with-astaire-it-was-the-only-time-in-the/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [There are men and women still on the streets, and that's all they are saying Can you spare a quarter? I come from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbey-lincoln/there-are-men-and-women-still-on-the-streets-and-that-s-all-they-are/) [Abbey Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbey-lincoln/) > [Alone in a crowd of people They see me but they don't see the real me They see my smile but they don't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hashem-shatila/alone-in-a-crowd-of-people-they-see-me-but-they-don-t-see-the-real-me/) [Hashem Shatila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hashem-shatila/) > [It's funny to watch sometimes. You're walking through a crowd of people or whether you're just out there for driver intros, the amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-busch/it-s-funny-to-watch-sometimes-you-re-walking-through-a-crowd-of/) [Kyle Busch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-busch/) > [This is going to sound bad but I can't stand people - a crowd of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordy-nelson/this-is-going-to-sound-bad-but-i-can-t-stand-people-a-crowd-of-people/) [Jordy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordy-nelson/) > [We're just the biggest Coachella fans. I was in the crowd always - one of those people fighting to get to the front. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-haim/we-re-just-the-biggest-coachella-fans-i-was-in-the-crowd-always-one/) [Alana Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-haim/) > [“Evil comes in various forms, the one it comes most is the crowd of people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-miller/evil-comes-in-various-forms-the-one-it-comes-most-is-the-crowd-of/) [James Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-miller/) > [“Gunfire rips through the crowd, and several people near me slump to the ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/gunfire-rips-through-the-crowd-and-several-people-near-me-slump-to/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [In Atlanta, my mom came and came downstairs and we were talking like behind the crowd. People from the crowd saw me and started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-mosey/in-atlanta-my-mom-came-and-came-downstairs-and-we-were-talking-like/) [Lil Mosey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-mosey/) > [I do really enjoy having a crowd of people out to see me. They really motivate me. I feel really lucky they've come down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lidell/i-do-really-enjoy-having-a-crowd-of-people-out-to-see-me-they-really/) [Jamie Lidell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lidell/) > [“There, on the corner, stood a thick crowd of people, all of them peasants. He made his way into the very thick of them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/there-on-the-corner-stood-a-thick-crowd-of-people-all-of-them/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [It's always great to see grey hairs in a crowd; people who are older have been to a lot more gigs than the kids;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-marshall/it-s-always-great-to-see-grey-hairs-in-a-crowd-people-who-are-older/) [Winston Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-marshall/) ## More by Gene Kelly > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [In fact, I wasn't going to dance in Xanadu, but several journalists told me that Olivia Newton-John kept saying how sad she was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/in-fact-i-wasn-t-going-to-dance-in-xanadu-but-several-journalists/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I miss the romance. I keep saying this over and over again, but dance follows music. And if the accent today is percussion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-miss-the-romance-i-keep-saying-this-over-and-over-again-but-dance/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I didn't want to move or act like a rich man. I wanted to dance in a pair of jeans. I wanted to dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-didn-t-want-to-move-or-act-like-a-rich-man-i-wanted-to-dance-in-a/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Things danced on the screen do not look the way they do on the stage. On the stage, dancing is three-dimensional, but a motion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/things-danced-on-the-screen-do-not-look-the-way-they-do-on-the-stage/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of dance, I'm the Marlon Brando.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/if-fred-astaire-is-the-cary-grant-of-dance-i-m-the-marlon-brando/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [It fit into my scheme of things for many reasons. At the time it was true that male dancers were looked down upon, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/it-fit-into-my-scheme-of-things-for-many-reasons-at-the-time-it-was/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I don't understand the whole concept of doubles. They used to do that in the early sound films in Hollywood, but I thought we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-don-t-understand-the-whole-concept-of-doubles-they-used-to-do-that/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I'll never starve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-ll-never-starve/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [When I would create a dance, I wouldn't have the luxury that ballet people do when they take a piece of music and impose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/when-i-would-create-a-dance-i-wouldn-t-have-the-luxury-that-ballet/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/you-dance-love-and-you-dance-joy-and-you-dance-dreams/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [When Ginger Rogers danced with Astaire, it was the only time in the movies when you looked at the man, not the woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/when-ginger-rogers-danced-with-astaire-it-was-the-only-time-in-the/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I wanted to do new things with dance, adapt it to the motion picture medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/i-wanted-to-do-new-things-with-dance-adapt-it-to-the-motion-picture/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams. And I know if I can make you smile by jumping over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/you-dance-love-and-you-dance-joy-and-you-dance-dreams-and-i-know-if-i/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Kids talk to me and say they want to do musicals again because they've studied the tapes of the old films. We didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/kids-talk-to-me-and-say-they-want-to-do-musicals-again-because-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) [Explore all 57 Gene Kelly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) ## 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": "The only time I feel pressured is when some woman's husband comes over and says, \"Will you go ask my wife to dance? She's a great dancer and would just love to dance with you.\"Suddenly there's a crowd of people standing around us and they expect that they're about to see Fred and Ginger. Here the woman and I have just met, and these people think that it's showtime. That is the only time I think it is really embarrassing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gene Kelly" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-some-woman-s-husband-comes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-some-woman-s-husband-comes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/gene-kelly-11878_asks_the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-s_2019489.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/gene-kelly-11878_asks_the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-s_2019489.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acd/gene-kelly-11878_asks_the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-s_2019489.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only time I feel pressured is when some woman's husband comes over and says, \"Will you go ask my wife to…” — Gene Kelly", "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": "Gene Kelly", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only time I feel pressured...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-some-woman-s-husband-comes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-time-i-feel-pressured-is-when-some-woman-s-husband-comes/#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 } } ] } ```