--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every ballet, whether or not successful…" description: "\"Every ballet, whether or not successful artistically or with the public, has given me something important.\" — Mikhail Baryshnikov" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_ballet_every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-a_992068.png" --- # Every ballet, whether or not successful artistically or… ![“Every ballet, whether or not successful artistically or with the public, has given me something important.” quote by Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_ballet_every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-a_992068.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_ballet_every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-a_992068.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_ballet_every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-a_992068.png) > “Every ballet, whether or not successful artistically or with the public, has given me something important.” [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Each ballet, regardless of artistic or popular success, offers a valuable lesson or insight to the dancer. **In simple terms:** Every performance teaches something important. Key Takeaway Seek growth in every artistic experience. Themes art growth learning Mood reflective inspired Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - performing - rehearsal - career development Key Concepts dance experience reflection Questions to Reflect On - What lesson did you learn from a less successful performance? - How can you apply that lesson elsewhere? A Different Perspective Success is subjective; lessons may be subtle. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Ballet Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-successful-2036225/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Given Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-important-2036226/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Successful Artistically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful-artistically-2036227/) ## Related quotes > [One of the biggest obstacles I've overcome in my life was thinking I didn't deserve to be successful. Artistically I'm not as much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/one-of-the-biggest-obstacles-i-ve-overcome-in-my-life-was-thinking-i/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [I don't try to dance better than anybody but myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-don-t-try-to-dance-better-than-anybody-but-myself/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Mikhail Baryshnikov > [I am not the first straight dancer or the last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-am-not-the-first-straight-dancer-or-the-last/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [Working is living to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/working-is-living-to-me/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I was always interested in photography and other forms of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-was-always-interested-in-photography-and-other-forms-of-art/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [In the second part of life you get rid of stuff you've accumulated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/in-the-second-part-of-life-you-get-rid-of-stuff-you-ve-accumulated/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [You don't measure life by receiving awards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/you-don-t-measure-life-by-receiving-awards/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [No one is born a dancer. You have to want it more than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/no-one-is-born-a-dancer-you-have-to-want-it-more-than-anything/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I want to do exactly what I want to do. I'd rather gamble on the box office than beg for a grant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-want-to-do-exactly-what-i-want-to-do-i-d-rather-gamble-on-the-box/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I always had a kind of strange relationship with New York City, with total love affair in the beginning then retreat during the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-always-had-a-kind-of-strange-relationship-with-new-york-city-with/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [Running a company is pretty demanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/running-a-company-is-pretty-demanding/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I like the most provocative and most surprising partnerships on stage. Intensity and surprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-like-the-most-provocative-and-most-surprising-partnerships-on-stage/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [When a body moves, it's the most revealing thing. Dance for me a minute, and I'll tell you who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/when-a-body-moves-it-s-the-most-revealing-thing-dance-for-me-a-minute/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I - you know, I'm not an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-you-know-i-m-not-an-actor/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [If your only dance experience is the Nutcracker, it will be a shock; hopefully shocking in a good way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/if-your-only-dance-experience-is-the-nutcracker-it-will-be-a-shock/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [People dance at any age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/people-dance-at-any-age/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) > [I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to to dance better than myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/i-do-not-try-to-dance-better-than-anyone-else-i-only-try-to-to-dance/) [Mikhail Baryshnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) [Explore all 128 Mikhail Baryshnikov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/) ## 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": "Every ballet, whether or not successful artistically or with the public, has given me something important.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mikhail Baryshnikov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-artistically-or-with-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ballet" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-artistically-or-with-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_ballet_every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-a_992068.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_ballet_every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-a_992068.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/mikhail-baryshnikov-3526_ballet_every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-a_992068.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every ballet, whether or not successful artistically or with the public, has given me something important.” — Mikhail Baryshnikov", "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": "Mikhail Baryshnikov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-baryshnikov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every ballet, whether or not successful...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-artistically-or-with-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-baryshnikov/every-ballet-whether-or-not-successful-artistically-or-with-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 } } ] } ```