--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Studying ballet is an expensive endeavor…" description: "\"Studying ballet is an expensive endeavor. I know I could never have done it without the generosity and sacrifice of my parents, but not all kids are th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/924/michaela-deprince-5344_ballet_studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor_330112.jpg" --- # Studying ballet is an expensive endeavor. I know I could… ![“Studying ballet is an expensive endeavor. I know I could never have done it without the generosity and sacrifice of my parents, but not all kids are that lucky.” quote by Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/924/michaela-deprince-5344_ballet_studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor_330112.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/924/michaela-deprince-5344_ballet_studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor_330112.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/924/michaela-deprince-5344_ballet_studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor_330112.jpg) > “Studying ballet is an expensive endeavor. I know I could never have done it without the generosity and sacrifice of my parents, but not all kids are that lucky.” [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She acknowledges ballet’s high cost and her parents’ sacrifice, highlighting inequality in access to arts education. **In simple terms:** Ballet is costly; not all kids can afford it. Key Takeaway Advocate for broader arts access. Themes arts education inequality family sacrifice Mood hopeful determined Type inspirational advocacy When to use this quote - school programs - scholarships - community workshops - policy advocacy Key Concepts Social equity cultural capital Questions to Reflect On - How can we make arts education inclusive? - What role do families play? A Different Perspective Funding alone may not address systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Ballet Expensive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-expensive-3090559/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Generosity Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity-sacrifice-3090560/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Sacrifice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice/) [Sacrifice Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrifice-parents-1986419/) [Studying Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studying-ballet-374618/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up studying ballet; I grew up honing my craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-dickinson/i-grew-up-studying-ballet-i-grew-up-honing-my-craft/) [Janice Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-dickinson/) > [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/) > [I was a protege; by the age of 10, I was studying with ballet choreographer Anthony Tudor in a class of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-jamison/i-was-a-protege-by-the-age-of-10-i-was-studying-with-ballet/) [Judith Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-jamison/) > [Altruism does not mean mere kindness or generosity, but the sacrifice of the best among men to the worst, the sacrifice of virtues to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/altruism-does-not-mean-mere-kindness-or-generosity-but-the-sacrifice/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [When I was younger, the people making the sacrifice were my parents. It's not a cheap sport. Luckily, I had parents who made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-horton/when-i-was-younger-the-people-making-the-sacrifice-were-my-parents-it/) [Jonathan Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-horton/) > [“It is the grace of God that frees a soul from selfishness and empowers not just generosity, but sacrifice. And such sacrifice God will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mathis/it-is-the-grace-of-god-that-frees-a-soul-from-selfishness-and/) [David Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mathis/) > [“There is no generosity without sacrifice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/there-is-no-generosity-without-sacrifice/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“The engineer’s ready capitulation, however, did not hide from the poet’s mother the sad realization that the adventure into which she had plunged so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-engineer-s-ready-capitulation-however-did-not-hide-from-the-poet/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Ask a child's guardians what it takes to be good at their jobs, and most will answer with a single word... SACRIFICE. Parents give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/ask-a-child-s-guardians-what-it-takes-to-be-good-at-their-jobs-and/) [Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/) > [No matter what people tell you, you should focus on your goals and you should do what you want to do, especially if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/no-matter-what-people-tell-you-you-should-focus-on-your-goals-and-you/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [I want to be known as a delicate, Black dancer who does classical ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-want-to-be-known-as-a-delicate-black-dancer-who-does-classical/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-bujones/) > [“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/) ## More by Michaela DePrince > [I know it is easier said than done, but you have to find a way to surround yourself with positivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-know-it-is-easier-said-than-done-but-you-have-to-find-a-way-to/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [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/) > [I was born in 1995 in Sierra Leone, in the middle of a war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-was-born-in-1995-in-sierra-leone-in-the-middle-of-a-war/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [No matter what people tell you, you should focus on your goals and you should do what you want to do, especially if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/no-matter-what-people-tell-you-you-should-focus-on-your-goals-and-you/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [I didn't really think I would ever make it out of Africa. I dreamt about it, but I didn't think it would happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-didn-t-really-think-i-would-ever-make-it-out-of-africa-i-dreamt/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [There is no way that anyone could experience a war and witness all the horror that it brings without gaining a greater respect for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/there-is-no-way-that-anyone-could-experience-a-war-and-witness-all/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [I've always wanted to prove people wrong, and that's what drives me. I've been like that since Sierra Leone, when everyone said, 'Nobody is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-ve-always-wanted-to-prove-people-wrong-and-that-s-what-drives-me-i/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [No matter how much talent and drive I had, I know that I could not have made it without the parents who adopted me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/no-matter-how-much-talent-and-drive-i-had-i-know-that-i-could-not/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [The thing is for me, I've accepted the way I look and I don't think what anybody says is gonna change what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/the-thing-is-for-me-i-ve-accepted-the-way-i-look-and-i-don-t-think/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [Dancing has changed my life. It gave me hope and helped me to deal with my anger about all the things that have happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/dancing-has-changed-my-life-it-gave-me-hope-and-helped-me-to-deal/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [I want to change the way people look at black ballerinas and how they think about adoption. I want to become a role model…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-want-to-change-the-way-people-look-at-black-ballerinas-and-how-they/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [Never be afraid to be a poppy in a field of daffodils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/never-be-afraid-to-be-a-poppy-in-a-field-of-daffodils/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [I'm fortunate I was able to have my parents show me that it's OK to be proud of my skin color. Loving my black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-m-fortunate-i-was-able-to-have-my-parents-show-me-that-it-s-ok-to/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [There's a lot of stereotypes saying that if you're a Black dancer, you have terrible feet, you don't have extension, you're too muscular, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/there-s-a-lot-of-stereotypes-saying-that-if-you-re-a-black-dancer-you/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [I want young black girls to have more dancers to look up to. I want to be able to spread more poppies in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-want-young-black-girls-to-have-more-dancers-to-look-up-to-i-want-to/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) [Explore all 101 Michaela DePrince quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Studying ballet is an expensive endeavor. I know I could never have done it without the generosity and sacrifice of my parents, but not all kids are that lucky.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michaela DePrince" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor-i-know-i-could-never-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ballet" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor-i-know-i-could-never-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/924/michaela-deprince-5344_ballet_studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor_330112.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/924/michaela-deprince-5344_ballet_studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor_330112.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/924/michaela-deprince-5344_ballet_studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor_330112.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Studying ballet is an expensive endeavor. I know I could never have done it without the generosity and…” — Michaela DePrince", "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": "Michaela DePrince", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Studying ballet is an expensive endeavor....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor-i-know-i-could-never-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/studying-ballet-is-an-expensive-endeavor-i-know-i-could-never-have/#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 } } ] } ```