--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man must speak, then sing, then dance…" description: "\"Man must speak, then sing, then dance. The speaking is the brain, the thinking man. The singing is the emotion. The dancing is the Dionysian ecstasy wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/isadora-duncan-7255_brain_man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the_72577.jpg" --- # Man must speak, then sing, then dance. The speaking is the… ![“Man must speak, then sing, then dance. The speaking is the brain, the thinking man. The singing is the emotion. The dancing is the Dionysian ecstasy which carries away all.” quote by Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/isadora-duncan-7255_brain_man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the_72577.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/isadora-duncan-7255_brain_man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the_72577.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/isadora-duncan-7255_brain_man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the_72577.jpg) > “Man must speak, then sing, then dance. The speaking is the brain, the thinking man. The singing is the emotion. The dancing is the Dionysian ecstasy which carries away all.” [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human expression progresses from rational thought (speech), through feeling (song), to ecstatic release (dance), each stage deepening the experience of self. **In simple terms:** From mind to emotion to ecstatic movement. Key Takeaway Integration of intellect, feeling, and transcendence. Themes self‑expression psychology artistic hierarchy emotional release catharsis philosophy of art Mood inspired reflective exuberant Type philosophical artistic motivational When to use this quote - public speaking - musical performance - dance improvisation - ritual ceremony - personal meditation Key Concepts cognition affect embodiment ritual Practical Applications - creative workshops - holistic therapy Questions to Reflect On - How does each mode of expression affect personal insight? - Can one skip a stage and still achieve wholeness? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancer/) [Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Ecstasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecstasy/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [When movement isn't enough, you dance, or when speaking isn't enough, you sing. When it's organic, and it's earned like that in a musical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-marshall/when-movement-isn-t-enough-you-dance-or-when-speaking-isn-t-enough/) [Rob Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-marshall/) > [Thinking man's crumpet? Well, it's more flattering than being a lobotomised man's crumpet, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/thinking-man-s-crumpet-well-it-s-more-flattering-than-being-a/) [Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/) > [Hunting is not a proper employment for a thinking man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/hunting-is-not-a-proper-employment-for-a-thinking-man/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [When the political columnists say 'Every thinking man' they mean themselves, and when candidates appeal to 'Every intelligent voter' they mean everybody who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-p-adams/when-the-political-columnists-say-every-thinking-man-they-mean/) [Franklin P. Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-p-adams/) > [“Understand this clearly: you can teach a man to draw a straight line, and to carve it; and to copy and carve any number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/understand-this-clearly-you-can-teach-a-man-to-draw-a-straight-line/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [“The majority never has right on its side. Never I say! That is one of the social lies that a free, thinking man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/the-majority-never-has-right-on-its-side-never-i-say-that-is-one-of/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [“A silent man is a thinking man. A silent woman is an angry one …”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/a-silent-man-is-a-thinking-man-a-silent-woman-is-an-angry-one/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I've had six or eight hookers in my life. I never woke up the next day thinking man I'm glad I got a hooker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/i-ve-had-six-or-eight-hookers-in-my-life-i-never-woke-up-the-next-day/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [It is the fate of every truth to be an object of ridicule when it is first acclaimed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/it-is-the-fate-of-every-truth-to-be-an-object-of-ridicule-when-it-is/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“He Sat in the window thinking. Man has a tropism for order. Keys in one pocket, change in the other. Mandolins are tuned G…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathanael-west/he-sat-in-the-window-thinking-man-has-a-tropism-for-order-keys-in-one/) [Nathanael West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathanael-west/) > [No rage is equal to the rage of a contented right-thinking man when he is confronted in the marketplace by an idea which belongs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurman-arnold/no-rage-is-equal-to-the-rage-of-a-contented-right-thinking-man-when/) [Thurman Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurman-arnold/) > [Probably no one of us has the True Religion. But all of us together - if we are allowed to be free - are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/probably-no-one-of-us-has-the-true-religion-but-all-of-us-together-if/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) > [“But here you might have noticed something. I said, ‘It stands to reason’. Do you see ? Men have a weapon against you. Reason.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/but-here-you-might-have-noticed-something-i-said-it-stands-to-reason/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Part of the broader task of Christian scholarship is to help create and sustain a cultural milieu in which the gospel can be heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lane-craig/part-of-the-broader-task-of-christian-scholarship-is-to-help-create/) [William Lane Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lane-craig/) > [I've said many times before that Pebble Beach is a wonderful thinking-man's golf course. That is why it is such a great U.S. Open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-ve-said-many-times-before-that-pebble-beach-is-a-wonderful-thinking/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) ## More by Isadora Duncan > [Art is not necessary at all. All that is necessary to make this world a better place to live in is to love -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/art-is-not-necessary-at-all-all-that-is-necessary-to-make-this-world/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [My art is just an effort to express the truth of my being in gesture and movement. It has taken me long years to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/my-art-is-just-an-effort-to-express-the-truth-of-my-being-in-gesture/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [All my life I have struggled to make one authentic gesture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/all-my-life-i-have-struggled-to-make-one-authentic-gesture/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [I intend to work for this dance of the future. I do not know whether I have the necessary qualities; I may have neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/i-intend-to-work-for-this-dance-of-the-future-i-do-not-know-whether-i/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [The only dance masters I could have were Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Walt Whitman and Nietzsche.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-only-dance-masters-i-could-have-were-jean-jacques-rousseau-walt/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [The dancer will not belong to a nation but to all humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-dancer-will-not-belong-to-a-nation-but-to-all-humanity/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [Dancing: The Highest Intelligence in the Freest Body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/dancing-the-highest-intelligence-in-the-freest-body/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [All my lovers have been geniuses; it's the one thing that I insist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/all-my-lovers-have-been-geniuses-it-s-the-one-thing-that-i-insist/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [I have only danced my life. As a child I danced the spontaneous joy of growing things. As an adolescent, I danced with joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/i-have-only-danced-my-life-as-a-child-i-danced-the-spontaneous-joy-of/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [When I was sixteen, I danced before an audience without music. At the end someone suddenly cried 'its Death and the Maiden'. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/when-i-was-sixteen-i-danced-before-an-audience-without-music-at-the/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [It is unheard-of, uncivilized barbarism that any woman should still be forced to bear such monstrous torture. It should be remedied. It should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/it-is-unheard-of-uncivilized-barbarism-that-any-woman-should-still-be/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [The dancer will not belong to any nation but to all humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-dancer-will-not-belong-to-any-nation-but-to-all-humanity/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [To awaken human emotion is the highest level of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/to-awaken-human-emotion-is-the-highest-level-of-art/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of her soul...This is the truly creative dancer, natural but not imitative, speaking in movement out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/the-dancer-s-body-is-simply-the-luminous-manifestation-of-her-soul/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [Oh Woman, come before us, before our eyes longing for beauty, and tired of the ugliness of civilization, come in simple tunics, letting us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/oh-woman-come-before-us-before-our-eyes-longing-for-beauty-and-tired/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) [Explore all 92 Isadora Duncan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) ## More Brain quotes > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' I don't know if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-prefer-the-word-musician-i-m-a-musician-and-a-composer-i-have-a/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [Thinking of sex provides enough mental stimulation to reduce risk of diseases that damage the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-of-sex-provides-enough-mental-stimulation-to-reduce-risk-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [Without illusions. I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) > [The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire. The long developmental process of learning to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/the-act-of-learning-to-read-added-an-entirely-new-circuit-to-our/) [Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [I am the way I am. If you like me because I'm glamorous, so be it. If you like me, because I speak well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malaika-arora-khan/i-am-the-way-i-am-if-you-like-me-because-i-m-glamorous-so-be-it-if/) [Malaika Arora Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malaika-arora-khan/) [Browse all 8,465 Brain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Man must speak, then sing, then dance. The speaking is the brain, the thinking man. The singing is the emotion. The dancing is the Dionysian ecstasy which carries away all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Isadora Duncan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the-speaking-is-the-brain-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the-speaking-is-the-brain-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/isadora-duncan-7255_brain_man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the_72577.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/isadora-duncan-7255_brain_man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the_72577.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/isadora-duncan-7255_brain_man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the_72577.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Man must speak, then sing, then dance. The speaking is the brain, the thinking man. The singing is the…” — Isadora Duncan", "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": "Isadora Duncan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Man must speak, then sing, then...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the-speaking-is-the-brain-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/man-must-speak-then-sing-then-dance-the-speaking-is-the-brain-the/#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 } } ] } ```