--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to make people feel intensely…" description: "\"I want to make people feel intensely alive. I'd rather have them against me than indifferent.\" — Martha Graham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fd/martha-graham-2832_alive_i-want-to-make-people-feel-intensely-ali_2895907.png" --- # I want to make people feel intensely alive. I'd rather… ![“I want to make people feel intensely alive. I'd rather have them against me than indifferent.” quote by Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fd/martha-graham-2832_alive_i-want-to-make-people-feel-intensely-ali_2895907.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fd/martha-graham-2832_alive_i-want-to-make-people-feel-intensely-ali_2895907.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fd/martha-graham-2832_alive_i-want-to-make-people-feel-intensely-ali_2895907.png) > “I want to make people feel intensely alive. I'd rather have them against me than indifferent.” [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She seeks to provoke strong emotional responses, preferring conflict over apathy. **In simple terms:** She wants people to feel alive, even if they oppose her. Key Takeaway Embrace intensity, avoid indifference. Themes art emotion conflict authenticity Mood passionate provocative Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - theatre - dance performance - public speaking - leadership - activism Key Concepts existentialism performance art psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does conflict deepen connection? - Can intensity replace empathy? A Different Perspective Opposition may alienate audiences and limit collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Alive Indifferent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive-indifferent-4090974/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Intensely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-intensely-362215/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Indifference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifference/) [Indifferent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifferent/) [Intensely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intensely/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-feel-241493/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [...if you feel everything intensely, ultimately you feel nothing at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/if-you-feel-everything-intensely-ultimately-you-feel-nothing-at-all/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [Particularly in these high school-set movies, there's something about being in high school that's like a cauldron, a boiling pot of emotion and joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waters/particularly-in-these-high-school-set-movies-there-s-something-about/) [Mark Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waters/) > [You can't get rid of evil. We can't, and I feel that so intensely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/you-can-t-get-rid-of-evil-we-can-t-and-i-feel-that-so-intensely/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [We feel more and more intensely about the music we make. It's unexpected, and not always what you would think of in Beach House.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-legrand/we-feel-more-and-more-intensely-about-the-music-we-make-it-s/) [Victoria Legrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-legrand/) > [“Highly sensitive people are too often perceived as weaklings or damaged goods. To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/highly-sensitive-people-are-too-often-perceived-as-weaklings-or/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [I feel so intensely the delights of shutting oneself up in a little world of one’s own, with pictures and music and everything beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-feel-so-intensely-the-delights-of-shutting-oneself-up-in-a-little/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I'm really inspired by obsession meaning, really, that you just feel something intensely or you love something intensely or you hate something intensely, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-peters/i-m-really-inspired-by-obsession-meaning-really-that-you-just-feel/) [Maisie Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-peters/) > [“On the positive side, you are “in love” with your partner. This is at first a deeply satisfying state. You feel intensely alive. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/on-the-positive-side-you-are-in-love-with-your-partner-this-is-at/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Over the last few days, I have been able to see my life as from a great altitude, as a sort of landscape, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver/over-the-last-few-days-i-have-been-able-to-see-my-life-as-from-a/) [Oliver $](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver/) > [Taking a hypersensitive approach to life had come to seem so much more pure and honest then joining the ranks of the numb masses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/taking-a-hypersensitive-approach-to-life-had-come-to-seem-so-much/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [If you think about the times in life when you've been the most deeply fulfilled, they're the times that you've felt love. Whether it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marci-shimoff/if-you-think-about-the-times-in-life-when-you-ve-been-the-most-deeply/) [Marci Shimoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marci-shimoff/) > [“Words control the impulses; without them children have no protective devices to slow their reactions. Frequently I am asked, “Aren’t you just begging for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-sheedy-kurcinka/words-control-the-impulses-without-them-children-have-no-protective/) [Mary Sheedy Kurcinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-sheedy-kurcinka/) > [I thought, briefly, that I would never feel as intensely connected to the world, to another human being, as I did at that moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-thought-briefly-that-i-would-never-feel-as-intensely-connected-to/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [When I feel something very intensely or deeply or personally, I can go to extremes of self-expression or self-analysis by writing a poem -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/when-i-feel-something-very-intensely-or-deeply-or-personally-i-can-go/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Doing your best, you are going to live your life intensely. You are going to be productive, you are going to be good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/doing-your-best-you-are-going-to-live-your-life-intensely-you-are/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) ## More by Martha Graham > [The body never lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-never-lies/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You have no right to go before a public without an adequate technique, just because you feel. Anything feels - a leaf feels, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-have-no-right-to-go-before-a-public-without-an-adequate-technique/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-vitality-a-life-force-an-energy-a-quickening-that-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Misery is a communicable disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/misery-is-a-communicable-disease/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [People have asked me why I chose to be a dancer. I did not choose. I was chosen to be a dancer, and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/people-have-asked-me-why-i-chose-to-be-a-dancer-i-did-not-choose-i/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [All things I do are in every woman. Every woman is Medea. Every woman is Jocasta. There comes a time when a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/all-things-i-do-are-in-every-woman-every-woman-is-medea-every-woman/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-shaped-disciplined-honored-and-in-time-trusted/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The secret to dancing is that it is about everything except dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-secret-to-dancing-is-that-it-is-about-everything-except-dancing/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [What makes a great dancer is not technique. What makes a great dancer is passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/what-makes-a-great-dancer-is-not-technique-what-makes-a-great-dancer/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [The body is a sacred garment. It's your first and last garment; it is what you enter life in and what you depart life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/the-body-is-a-sacred-garment-it-s-your-first-and-last-garment-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-are-unique-and-if-that-is-not-fulfilled-then-something-has-been/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/you-see-when-weaving-a-blanket-an-indian-woman-leaves-a-flaw-in-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery - what it all means, the way the little bone near the ankle relates itself to the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/dancing-is-just-discovery-discovery-discovery-what-it-all-means-the/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [Theater used to be a verb; it used to be an act. But nowadays it is just a noun. It is a place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/theater-used-to-be-a-verb-it-used-to-be-an-act-but-nowadays-it-is/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [There is a force, a quickness that is translated through you into action. If you block it, the world will not have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/there-is-a-force-a-quickness-that-is-translated-through-you-into/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) [Explore all 148 Martha Graham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I want to make people feel intensely alive. 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