--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My career came together very quickly. I…" description: "\"My career came together very quickly. I only trained for four years before I became a professional, so I didn't have a lot of time to sit back and be i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_my-career-came-together-very-quickly-i-o_2977547.png" --- # My career came together very quickly. I only trained for… ![“My career came together very quickly. I only trained for four years before I became a professional, so I didn't have a lot of time to sit back and be inspired before I took my first ballet class.” quote by Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_my-career-came-together-very-quickly-i-o_2977547.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_my-career-came-together-very-quickly-i-o_2977547.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/misty-copeland-2012_ballet_my-career-came-together-very-quickly-i-o_2977547.png) > “My career came together very quickly. I only trained for four years before I became a professional, so I didn't have a lot of time to sit back and be inspired before I took my first ballet class.” [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. Rapid mastery can occur when intensive training aligns with opportunity and innate talent, compressing typical timelines. **In simple terms:** Intense focus can fast‑track success. Key Takeaway Leverage focused effort and seize chances early. Themes determination talent opportunity growth Mood inspired confident Type motivational career. When to use this quote - ballet training - early career decisions - high‑intensity learning - sports scholarships Key Concepts deliberate practice skill acquisition career acceleration Questions to Reflect On - How can others create similar intensive pathways? - What role does mentorship play? A Different Perspective Success may rely on privileged access or support, not just effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Ballet class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-class/) [Be inspired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-inspired/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Career Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career-came-912960/) [Careers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careers/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Four years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four-years/) [Inspired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspired/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Took Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-ballet-649224/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Professional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-professional-1772053/) ## Related quotes > [My family was artistic and encouraged me to express myself. I was a show-off, so they took me to ballet class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-boutella/my-family-was-artistic-and-encouraged-me-to-express-myself-i-was-a/) [Sofia Boutella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-boutella/) > [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/) > [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-2/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Most ballerinas take their first ballet class when they are 5 or 6 years old. I was 13 when I took mine on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/most-ballerinas-take-their-first-ballet-class-when-they-are-5-or-6/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I don't feel like my life is that of a superstar! Every day I wake up, I take the train, I go to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-don-t-feel-like-my-life-is-that-of-a-superstar-every-day-i-wake-up/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Being in ballet class, being on the stage, being surrounded by my peers at American Ballet Theater every day, keeps me so humble and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/being-in-ballet-class-being-on-the-stage-being-surrounded-by-my-peers/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I wake up every morning, and I go to ballet class no matter what's going on the night before. That's my priority, and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-wake-up-every-morning-and-i-go-to-ballet-class-no-matter-what-s/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [The first 10 years of my professional life had only to do with running away from my father. He was a wonderful cabinet-maker, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/the-first-10-years-of-my-professional-life-had-only-to-do-with/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [My job is to suggest and ratify and use any expertise that I might have gained over the 23 years in professional hockey to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-hull/my-job-is-to-suggest-and-ratify-and-use-any-expertise-that-i-might/) [Bobby Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-hull/) > [The first 10 years I was a professional actor, I did Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/powers-boothe/the-first-10-years-i-was-a-professional-actor-i-did-shakespeare/) [Powers Boothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/powers-boothe/) > [I started in my pro debut in a leisure centre in front of a couple of hundred people and I just worked hard for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rocky-fielding/i-started-in-my-pro-debut-in-a-leisure-centre-in-front-of-a-couple-of/) [Rocky Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rocky-fielding/) > [Because I have sixty years of being a professional composer, conductor, musician, whatever, and you develop a lot of friendships and you get involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunther-schuller/because-i-have-sixty-years-of-being-a-professional-composer-conductor/) [Gunther Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunther-schuller/) > [If there is one thing I have learned during my years as a professional, it is that the only thing constant about golf is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/if-there-is-one-thing-i-have-learned-during-my-years-as-a/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [After a couple of years in a professional setting, you'll get used to dressing presentably, preparing for meetings, speaking appropriately, showing up on time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/after-a-couple-of-years-in-a-professional-setting-you-ll-get-used-to/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [To have six years of professional football under my belt already is really something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/granit-xhaka/to-have-six-years-of-professional-football-under-my-belt-already-is/) [Granit Xhaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/granit-xhaka/) ## 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 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": "My career came together very quickly. 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