--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I copied my brother. He was a natural…" description: "\"I copied my brother. He was a natural dancer. Graceful. People always asked did we study ballet. We never did.\" — Harold Nicholas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71d/harold-nicholas-81401_ballet_i-copied-my-brother-he-was-a-natural-dan_863014.jpg" --- # I copied my brother. He was a natural dancer. Graceful… ![“I copied my brother. He was a natural dancer. Graceful. People always asked did we study ballet. We never did.” quote by Harold Nicholas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71d/harold-nicholas-81401_ballet_i-copied-my-brother-he-was-a-natural-dan_863014.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71d/harold-nicholas-81401_ballet_i-copied-my-brother-he-was-a-natural-dan_863014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71d/harold-nicholas-81401_ballet_i-copied-my-brother-he-was-a-natural-dan_863014.jpg) > “I copied my brother. He was a natural dancer. Graceful. People always asked did we study ballet. We never did.” Harold Nicholas ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He imitates his brother’s natural grace, surprising others who assume formal training. **In simple terms:** He copied his brother’s dancing without training. Key Takeaway Embrace innate talent, not just formal instruction. Themes talent imitation perception Mood playful proud Type anecdotal inspirational When to use this quote - family gatherings - dance classes - performance anxiety - self‑confidence Key Concepts social expectations natural ability Questions to Reflect On - Do you assume skill requires formal training? - How does natural talent challenge expectations? A Different Perspective Talent may be dismissed without visible credentials. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancer/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I used to love ballet and I did it really, really intensely. But it came so much about achieving physical perfection, which when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-used-to-love-ballet-and-i-did-it-really-really-intensely-but-it/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [I am not a natural dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricki-lake/i-am-not-a-natural-dancer/) [Ricki Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricki-lake/) > [I am not a natural dancer, not even a half way competent dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/i-am-not-a-natural-dancer-not-even-a-half-way-competent-dancer/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [There is no such thing as a natural boxer. A natural dancer has to practice hard. A natural painter has to paint all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-louis/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-natural-boxer-a-natural-dancer-has-to/) [Joe Louis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-louis/) > [When I was 8, I began to study ballet. In seventh grade, my mother took me into New York to study at the School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-wiest/when-i-was-8-i-began-to-study-ballet-in-seventh-grade-my-mother-took/) [Dianne Wiest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-wiest/) > [I came to New York to study ballet and English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/i-came-to-new-york-to-study-ballet-and-english/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [I've studied dance since I was very young, and I continue to study ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-gadon/i-ve-studied-dance-since-i-was-very-young-and-i-continue-to-study/) [Sarah Gadon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-gadon/) > [I wanted so badly to study ballet, but it was really all about wearing the tutu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-macpherson/i-wanted-so-badly-to-study-ballet-but-it-was-really-all-about-wearing/) [Elle Macpherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-macpherson/) > [I was the oldest of the children in my family. I had to do a lot of diaper-changing and lunch-making. I was taking my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-diesel/i-was-the-oldest-of-the-children-in-my-family-i-had-to-do-a-lot-of/) [Vin Diesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-diesel/) > [Lift up your hearts, my brothers, high, higher! And don't forget about your legs either! Lift up your legs as well, you good dancers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/lift-up-your-hearts-my-brothers-high-higher-and-don-t-forget-about/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“If movements were a spark every dancer would desire to light up in flames.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/if-movements-were-a-spark-every-dancer-would-desire-to-light-up-in/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) > [“O wayfarer! Yearn finds quench, not in meadows, seashores or altitude of mountain peaks; but when being and dance are one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/o-wayfarer-yearn-finds-quench-not-in-meadows-seashores-or-altitude-of/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) > [I set as my goal to be the best dancer I could be. Not the most famous, or the highest paid dancer, just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/i-set-as-my-goal-to-be-the-best-dancer-i-could-be-not-the-most-famous/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [The dance, just as the performance of the actor, is kinesthetic art, art of the muscle sense. The awareness of tension and relaxation within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-arnheim/the-dance-just-as-the-performance-of-the-actor-is-kinesthetic-art-art/) [Rudolf Arnheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-arnheim/) > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) ## More by Harold Nicholas > [If you were black, you experienced prejudice. It wasn't a real horrible thing for us; we went through it. We noticed it mostly in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-nicholas/if-you-were-black-you-experienced-prejudice-it-wasn-t-a-real-horrible/) Harold Nicholas > [We were tap-dancers but we put more style into it, more bodywork, instead of just footwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-nicholas/we-were-tap-dancers-but-we-put-more-style-into-it-more-bodywork/) Harold Nicholas Explore all 3 Harold Nicholas quotes ## More Ballet quotes > [“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-the-moments-themselves-were/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) Fernando Bujones > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [No matter the style, the farther one goes the more obstacles increase, and the more distant appears the object it is desired to attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/no-matter-the-style-the-farther-one-goes-the-more-obstacles-increase/) [Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/) > [What I love most about ballet is being able to express my emotions through dance, and to be able to bring others joy through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-love-most-about-ballet-is-being-able-to-express-my-emotions/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) Peter Martins > [Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/even-though-i-am-a-professional-and-i-know-what-the-steps-are-i-don-t/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swayze/you-can-imagine-me-as-a-kid-growing-up-in-redneck-texas-with-ballet/) [Patrick Swayze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swayze/) > [I only started writing in the latter days of Spandau Ballet. I didnt know I could write because all had our roles within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-only-started-writing-in-the-latter-days-of-spandau-ballet-i-didnt/) [Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/) > [All ballet, all reading, all music. That was my world, my inner world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/all-ballet-all-reading-all-music-that-was-my-world-my-inner-world/) [Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/) > [I can dance. I like hip hop and stuff and jazz movements, but I'm horrible in ballet. I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/i-can-dance-i-like-hip-hop-and-stuff-and-jazz-movements-but-i-m/) [Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/) [Browse all 1,227 Ballet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I copied my brother. He was a natural dancer. Graceful. People always asked did we study ballet. 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