--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm going to tap until I can't: I'll be…" description: "\"I'm going to tap until I can't: I'll be so old, all I can do is walk out from the wings to stage center. But I'll be there.\" — Gregory Hines" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/gregory-hines-24660_center_i-m-going-to-tap-until-i-can-t-i-ll-be-s_104284.jpg" --- # I'm going to tap until I can't: I'll be so old, all I can… ![“I'm going to tap until I can't: I'll be so old, all I can do is walk out from the wings to stage center. But I'll be there.” quote by Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/gregory-hines-24660_center_i-m-going-to-tap-until-i-can-t-i-ll-be-s_104284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/gregory-hines-24660_center_i-m-going-to-tap-until-i-can-t-i-ll-be-s_104284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/215/gregory-hines-24660_center_i-m-going-to-tap-until-i-can-t-i-ll-be-s_104284.jpg) > “I'm going to tap until I can't: I'll be so old, all I can do is walk out from the wings to stage center. But I'll be there.” [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even with age, one can still step into the spotlight, showing that dedication endures beyond physical limits. **In simple terms:** Age doesn't end performance. Key Takeaway Persistence keeps talent alive. Themes aging performance dedication resilience Mood determination hope Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - an elderly dancer returning to stage - a retired teacher giving a guest lecture - a veteran athlete coaching younger players Key Concepts lifelong learning Practical Applications - Maintain regular practice regardless of age - Seek roles that match current abilities Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to stay relevant as you age? - How can we adapt our craft over time? A Different Perspective Physical decline may restrict certain expressions of art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Center](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/center/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Going Tap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-tap-1156066/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage Center](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-center-1256049/) [Tap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tap/) [Until](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/until/) [Walk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walk/) [Walk Wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walk-wings-722628/) [Wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wings/) [Wings Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wings-stage-386605/) ## Related quotes > [I feel like I grow wings on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-max/i-feel-like-i-grow-wings-on-stage/) [Ava Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-max/) > [“When you step from the wings onto the stage you go from total blackness to a blinding hot glare. After a moment you adjust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/when-you-step-from-the-wings-onto-the-stage-you-go-from-total/) [Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/) > [If you have tapped into something that is real for you, chances are you are going to tap into something that is real for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reiner/if-you-have-tapped-into-something-that-is-real-for-you-chances-are/) [Rob Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reiner/) > [I was thinking Im going to die but I'm not going to tap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyoto-machida/i-was-thinking-im-going-to-die-but-i-m-not-going-to-tap/) [Lyoto Machida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyoto-machida/) > [I don't think we've ever known what the hell's going on when we do Tap shows. It's possible the audience are effectively getting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-guest/i-don-t-think-we-ve-ever-known-what-the-hell-s-going-on-when-we-do/) [Christopher Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-guest/) > [If you have worries, there is no better way to eliminate them than by walking them off. Just take them out for a walk.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-have-worries-there-is-no-better-way-to-eliminate-them-than-by/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“If the wind blew just a little harder up from the wide slope below me, I would walk up on its wings and leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-fox/if-the-wind-blew-just-a-little-harder-up-from-the-wide-slope-below-me/) [Harper Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-fox/) > [If you have feet, walk! If you have wings, fly! Whatever you have, use them! Don't let them to rust!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-have-feet-walk-if-you-have-wings-fly-whatever-you-have-use/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [And seem to walk on wings, and tread in air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/and-seem-to-walk-on-wings-and-tread-in-air/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [All of my children's books are attempts to tap into what I believe to be children's, and to some extent human beings', fantasies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baddiel/all-of-my-children-s-books-are-attempts-to-tap-into-what-i-believe-to/) [David Baddiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baddiel/) > [I think that if you have a knack for storytelling, and you work really hard at it, you'll have a chance to tap into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ross/i-think-that-if-you-have-a-knack-for-storytelling-and-you-work-really/) [Adam Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ross/) > [Sugaring season is the season when you tap the trees for sugar that turns into maple syrup. I've married someone from Vermont, so it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-orton/sugaring-season-is-the-season-when-you-tap-the-trees-for-sugar-that/) [Beth Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-orton/) > [Here in New Orleans, what a lot of the musical families do - and this is a romantic concept on my part - is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-pirner/here-in-new-orleans-what-a-lot-of-the-musical-families-do-and-this-is/) [Dave Pirner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-pirner/) > [On February 7, 2.2 million Haitians went to the polls and exercised their constitutional right to select a leader. They went by foot, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-foley/on-february-7-2-2-million-haitians-went-to-the-polls-and-exercised/) [Mark Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-foley/) > [I would love to be able to tap dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/i-would-love-to-be-able-to-tap-dance/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) ## More by Gregory Hines > [I don't remember not dancing. When I realized I was alive and these were my parents, and I could walk and talk, I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/i-don-t-remember-not-dancing-when-i-realized-i-was-alive-and-these/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [Once I got to be about twenty-five, I got interested in the music of the time. I started smokin' dope, I started drinking, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/once-i-got-to-be-about-twenty-five-i-got-interested-in-the-music-of/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [I wanted to make a movie, because the whole life of the movies appealed to me. You work hard for three or four months,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/i-wanted-to-make-a-movie-because-the-whole-life-of-the-movies/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [They were very generous with me. Everybody was willing to talk about their particular accident, what they had to deal with and how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/they-were-very-generous-with-me-everybody-was-willing-to-talk-about/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [One of the things about working on stage - actually, about working in show business, that is - is that it's such a collaborative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/one-of-the-things-about-working-on-stage-actually-about-working-in/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [It turned out to be exactly that, but more challenging emotionally. I looked at it in a more physical way, having to act in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/it-turned-out-to-be-exactly-that-but-more-challenging-emotionally-i/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [My father has always been my hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/my-father-has-always-been-my-hero/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [You know the first time I sat in the chair I felt anything but up, it was very emotional for me. I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/you-know-the-first-time-i-sat-in-the-chair-i-felt-anything-but-up-it/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [I felt that I didn't want to be in show business anymore. I felt that I wanted to be a farmer. I was milking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/i-felt-that-i-didn-t-want-to-be-in-show-business-anymore-i-felt-that/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [My roots are on the live performing stage, so while I enjoy making films and the other things that I do, when I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/my-roots-are-on-the-live-performing-stage-so-while-i-enjoy-making/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [I can remember feeling very angry, and saying no! I can do it myself! From that point of view it was very emotional for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/i-can-remember-feeling-very-angry-and-saying-no-i-can-do-it-myself/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [I've had times when I've done what seems like a thousand interviews to promote a film that I'm in. I start to think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/i-ve-had-times-when-i-ve-done-what-seems-like-a-thousand-interviews/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [My character had been in the chair for seven years. He had gone through his anger, depression, drug and alcohol abuse. He had gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/my-character-had-been-in-the-chair-for-seven-years-he-had-gone/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [It would be like the films I've seen where wardens would decide to be in a jail cell for a week, to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/it-would-be-like-the-films-i-ve-seen-where-wardens-would-decide-to-be/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) > [I read the script, and I knew it was a good part. It was written for a white actor. That's what I'm up against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-hines/i-read-the-script-and-i-knew-it-was-a-good-part-it-was-written-for-a/) [Gregory Hines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) [Explore all 24 Gregory Hines quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-hines/) ## More Center quotes > [For our purposes as human beings, the mind is the center of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/for-our-purposes-as-human-beings-the-mind-is-the-center-of-everything/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Great men don't 'move to the center' - great men move the center!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/great-men-don-t-move-to-the-center-great-men-move-the-center/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [What we prefer to do is operate our investment bank in a way that is like what investment banks used to be, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-stephens/what-we-prefer-to-do-is-operate-our-investment-bank-in-a-way-that-is/) [Warren Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-stephens/) > [Thoughts will lead you in circles. Silence will bring you back to your center.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thoughts-will-lead-you-in-circles-silence-will-bring-you-back-to-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was married to a law student, and I used to attend classes with him at Georgetown University Law Center. Being of dramatic bent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luanne-rice/i-was-married-to-a-law-student-and-i-used-to-attend-classes-with-him/) [Luanne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luanne-rice/) > [I was a black center in the middle of all the nature. I was nothing, but I could do anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franco/i-was-a-black-center-in-the-middle-of-all-the-nature-i-was-nothing/) [James Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franco/) > [The center of all my enjoyments is the home wherein are my wife and children, and I have no wish to wander out from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/the-center-of-all-my-enjoyments-is-the-home-wherein-are-my-wife-and/) [Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/) > [“My beliefs are the center of my being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/my-beliefs-are-the-center-of-my-being/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I played on a line with Theo Fleury and German Titov, and I was actually center on their line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarome-iginla/i-played-on-a-line-with-theo-fleury-and-german-titov-and-i-was/) [Jarome Iginla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarome-iginla/) > [The most important thing about Jazz at Lincoln Center is the fact that it's the first time that perhaps the most important art form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-vinoly/the-most-important-thing-about-jazz-at-lincoln-center-is-the-fact/) [Rafael Vinoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-vinoly/) > [I went to a Bulls game when it was still in Chicago Stadium before they built the United Center.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-gibbs/i-went-to-a-bulls-game-when-it-was-still-in-chicago-stadium-before/) [Freddie Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-gibbs/) > [“Just remain in the center; watching. And then forget that you are there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/just-remain-in-the-center-watching-and-then-forget-that-you-are-there/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“if I wanted to be the center of the universe I’d have a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/if-i-wanted-to-be-the-center-of-the-universe-i-d-have-a-dog/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Lou Tyrrell has created a theatre that is a safe haven for playwrights, a birthing center for new American writing. 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