--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I just try to approach every opportunity…" description: "\"I just try to approach every opportunity on stage, as if it's my first time and my last time.\" — Misty Copeland" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/misty-copeland-2012_approach_i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity_632295.png" --- # I just try to approach every opportunity on stage, as if… ![“I just try to approach every opportunity on stage, as if it's my first time and my last time.” quote by Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/misty-copeland-2012_approach_i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity_632295.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/misty-copeland-2012_approach_i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity_632295.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/misty-copeland-2012_approach_i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity_632295.png) > “I just try to approach every opportunity on stage, as if it's my first time and my last time.” [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Treat each performance as both a fresh start and a final chance, fostering presence and urgency. **In simple terms:** Perform as if it's your first and last time. Key Takeaway Embrace each moment fully. Themes growth presence urgency performance mindset Mood inspired focused Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - auditions - live shows - rehearsals - career milestones Key Concepts Live performance psychology risk taking Questions to Reflect On - How does this mindset affect preparation? - What safeguards prevent burnout? A Different Perspective May cause anxiety if over‑emphasized; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Approach Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach-opportunity-5094034/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Last time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-time/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Opportunity Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity-stage-3113495/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-time-384365/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Try Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-approach-2888923/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [I think with the live shows it's giving you that opportunity to do something on stage that you don't normally do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-shultz/i-think-with-the-live-shows-it-s-giving-you-that-opportunity-to-do/) [Matt Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-shultz/) > [“A champion team needs only a small window of opportunity to stage a fightback, something I had learnt over the years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachin-tendulkar/a-champion-team-needs-only-a-small-window-of-opportunity-to-stage-a/) [Sachin Tendulkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachin-tendulkar/) > [I love to work in all sorts of different situations. I think you learn a lot, which is why I try not to approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-linney/i-love-to-work-in-all-sorts-of-different-situations-i-think-you-learn/) [Laura Linney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-linney/) > [Every performance is different, but I try to approach them in the same way and give it my all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mccoy-tyner/every-performance-is-different-but-i-try-to-approach-them-in-the-same/) [McCoy Tyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mccoy-tyner/) > [I always try to approach a film from the point of view of the director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-desplat/i-always-try-to-approach-a-film-from-the-point-of-view-of-the-director/) [Alexandre Desplat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-desplat/) > [Let me give you some advice: Try to approach things without preconceived ideas, without supposing you already know everything there is to know about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/let-me-give-you-some-advice-try-to-approach-things-without/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [I try to approach things in a fair-minded way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-allred/i-try-to-approach-things-in-a-fair-minded-way/) [Colin Allred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-allred/) > [“You can always try another approach; even change your subject when a scientific strategy or experiment fails.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-yonath/you-can-always-try-another-approach-even-change-your-subject-when-a/) [Ada Yonath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-yonath/) > [I don't come on to seduce the audience. I don't care if everyone laughs. I can't think about that anymore. If there's anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-proops/i-don-t-come-on-to-seduce-the-audience-i-don-t-care-if-everyone/) [Greg Proops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-proops/) > [I think more obvious to others, is that I'm most vulnerable on stage. Even though I know which songs I'm going to play, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/i-think-more-obvious-to-others-is-that-i-m-most-vulnerable-on-stage/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [The great thing about stage is that you have more control. The stage is yours. The time is yours. Film is really the editor's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-cranham/the-great-thing-about-stage-is-that-you-have-more-control-the-stage/) [Kenneth Cranham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-cranham/) > [Stage time, stage time, stage time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-lacroix/stage-time-stage-time-stage-time/) [Darren LaCroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-lacroix/) > [Even though I only get a few days off, I do not stop, whether it's getting some stage time at an open mic or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-ziggler/even-though-i-only-get-a-few-days-off-i-do-not-stop-whether-it-s/) [Dolph Ziggler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-ziggler/) > [I started once a week in North Carolina at a pub called Charlie Goodnight and met a lot of comics there. Then I moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/retta/i-started-once-a-week-in-north-carolina-at-a-pub-called-charlie/) [Retta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/retta/) > [I was 12 when I was on stage for the first time and had an epiphany that this is what I wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mithila-palkar/i-was-12-when-i-was-on-stage-for-the-first-time-and-had-an-epiphany/) [Mithila Palkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mithila-palkar/) ## More by Misty Copeland > [I traced the marley floor with my pointe shoes, and imagine myself on the stage, not as a member of the corps, but as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-traced-the-marley-floor-with-my-pointe-shoes-and-imagine-myself-on/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [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/) > [To be empathetic to everyone around you, I think, is such a powerful thing to hold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/to-be-empathetic-to-everyone-around-you-i-think-is-such-a-powerful/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [My first ballet class was on a basketball court. I'm in my gym clothes and my socks trying to do this thing called ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/my-first-ballet-class-was-on-a-basketball-court-i-m-in-my-gym-clothes/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [There are muscles that we have in our feet that most human beings don't even know that we have. The strength that we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/there-are-muscles-that-we-have-in-our-feet-that-most-human-beings-don/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/be-strong-be-fearless-be-beautiful-and-believe-that-anything-is/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [The woman represents ballet. She is most important, powerful and vital to it. Therefore, she is not "less than" a man. If anything she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/the-woman-represents-ballet-she-is-most-important-powerful-and-vital/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [If I'm put in a situation where I am not really sure what's going to happen, it can be overwhelming. I get a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/if-i-m-put-in-a-situation-where-i-am-not-really-sure-what-s-going-to/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I never experienced getting nervous on stage. I think I was most comfortable there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-never-experienced-getting-nervous-on-stage-i-think-i-was-most/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [The word "prodigy" was thrown around a lot, but I didn't understand what that meant, or the weight of it. It didn't really mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/the-word-prodigy-was-thrown-around-a-lot-but-i-didn-t-understand-what/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I think that the ideal physique and look of a ballerina is always changing with different eras. And it's continuing to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-think-that-the-ideal-physique-and-look-of-a-ballerina-is-always/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Once you become a professional, to get through a ballet like 'Swan Lake' - four acts as the lead, changing character - the perseverance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/once-you-become-a-professional-to-get-through-a-ballet-like-swan-lake/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Perseverance has always just been something that was in me. And it was a tool that came in very handy as a ballerina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/perseverance-has-always-just-been-something-that-was-in-me-and-it-was/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I was 17 when I moved to NYC . I'm now 32. But I do know I can't see myself living anywhere else. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-was-17-when-i-moved-to-nyc-i-m-now-32-but-i-do-know-i-can-t-see/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I grew up poor in San Pedro, California, sleeping on the floor of shady motels with my five siblings and not always sure when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-grew-up-poor-in-san-pedro-california-sleeping-on-the-floor-of-shady/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) [Explore all 191 Misty Copeland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) [Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I just try to approach every opportunity on stage, as if it's my first time and my last time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Misty Copeland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity-on-stage-as-if-it-s-my-first/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Approach" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity-on-stage-as-if-it-s-my-first/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/misty-copeland-2012_approach_i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity_632295.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/misty-copeland-2012_approach_i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity_632295.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e95/misty-copeland-2012_approach_i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity_632295.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I just try to approach every opportunity on stage, as if it's my first time and my last time.” — Misty Copeland", "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": "Misty Copeland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I just try to approach every...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity-on-stage-as-if-it-s-my-first/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-just-try-to-approach-every-opportunity-on-stage-as-if-it-s-my-first/#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 } } ] } ```