--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have been performing in the street for…" description: "\"I have been performing in the street for more than 50 years: magic for basically 60 years, and the high wire 45 years. The beauty of it is that it's ne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/philippe-petit-3697_art_i-have-been-performing-in-the-street-for_53530.jpg" --- # I have been performing in the street for more than 50… ![“I have been performing in the street for more than 50 years: magic for basically 60 years, and the high wire 45 years. The beauty of it is that it's never the same. It's never easy. And yet, part of my art is to make it look easy.” quote by Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/philippe-petit-3697_art_i-have-been-performing-in-the-street-for_53530.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/philippe-petit-3697_art_i-have-been-performing-in-the-street-for_53530.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/227/philippe-petit-3697_art_i-have-been-performing-in-the-street-for_53530.jpg) > “I have been performing in the street for more than 50 years: magic for basically 60 years, and the high wire 45 years. The beauty of it is that it's never the same. It's never easy. And yet, part of my art is to make it look easy.” [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The performer emphasizes that mastery comes from relentless practice and the paradox of making effort appear effortless. **In simple terms:** Skill hides hard work. Key Takeaway Effortless illusion masks dedication. Themes mastery performance illusion persistence craft Mood awe admiration Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - stage shows - street performances - public demonstrations Key Concepts practice presentation audience perception Practical Applications - teaching performance art - designing engaging presentations Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to make difficulty appear simple? - How does audience perception shape a performer’s approach? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/street/) ## Related quotes > [On the high wire, within months, I'm able to master all the tricks they do in the circus, except I am not satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/on-the-high-wire-within-months-i-m-able-to-master-all-the-tricks-they/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [I was born in a world of opera, theatre, films, poetry, art, and therefore, out of the wire, I made a stage. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-was-born-in-a-world-of-opera-theatre-films-poetry-art-and-therefore/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [On a very long and very high wire, I will not hope to not be blown off by high winds. I will have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/on-a-very-long-and-very-high-wire-i-will-not-hope-to-not-be-blown-off/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [It is treacherous on a high wire to change your focus point and suddenly look down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/it-is-treacherous-on-a-high-wire-to-change-your-focus-point-and/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [As a high wire walker, I do not allow myself to 'leave the wire' during a performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/as-a-high-wire-walker-i-do-not-allow-myself-to-leave-the-wire-during/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [It's very normal - when you're not used to the world of the high wire, it's very normal to be simply terrified. The reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/it-s-very-normal-when-you-re-not-used-to-the-world-of-the-high-wire/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [I walk on the wire; it's my profession, and there are no two high wire walks alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-walk-on-the-wire-it-s-my-profession-and-there-are-no-two-high-wire/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [“I promised your father I wouldn't teach you any magic. Particularly after what happened with your mother. And I also promised some other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/i-promised-your-father-i-wouldn-t-teach-you-any-magic-particularly/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-only-people-who-never-tumble-are-those-who-never-mount-the-high/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Life can be like walking on a high wire. Falling seems a tiny misstep away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/life-can-be-like-walking-on-a-high-wire-falling-seems-a-tiny-misstep/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [As long as I can walk and talk, I'll try almost anything. I say "almost" because the high wire is definitely out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bacall/as-long-as-i-can-walk-and-talk-i-ll-try-almost-anything-i-say-almost/) [Lauren Bacall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bacall/) > [Historically, musicians know what it is like to be outside the norm - walking the high wire without a safety net. Our experience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/historically-musicians-know-what-it-is-like-to-be-outside-the-norm/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [The great thing about theater is that you have so much time to prepare, and to fail, before presenting it to the public. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/the-great-thing-about-theater-is-that-you-have-so-much-time-to/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [You often feel like you are on a high wire with no net productions because you have to rely on spontaneity and come up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/you-often-feel-like-you-are-on-a-high-wire-with-no-net-productions/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [Acting is like a high wire act. Your margin for error is very slim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/acting-is-like-a-high-wire-act-your-margin-for-error-is-very-slim/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) ## More by Philippe Petit > [If I look at the performance of another friend Sting, whenever I hear him take over a stage and share his art with millions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/if-i-look-at-the-performance-of-another-friend-sting-whenever-i-hear/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [I am a wire-walker. I can walk any time, anywhere - I'm indestructible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-am-a-wire-walker-i-can-walk-any-time-anywhere-i-m-indestructible/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [I needed more knowledge in rigging and knotting. I started collecting books on knots and really learning more and more. That's how it started.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-needed-more-knowledge-in-rigging-and-knotting-i-started-collecting/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [To be able to create fully, it's maybe fine that you learn the rules, but you have to forget and to rebel against those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/to-be-able-to-create-fully-it-s-maybe-fine-that-you-learn-the-rules/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [When a loved one disappears, you continue to live with the accompaniment of that person. One has to find a balance between joy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/when-a-loved-one-disappears-you-continue-to-live-with-the/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [You must not fall. / When you lose your balance, resist for a long time before turning yourself toward the earth. Then jump. /…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/you-must-not-fall-when-you-lose-your-balance-resist-for-a-long-time/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [When I was six years old, I fell in love with magic. For Christmas, I got a magic box and a very old book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/when-i-was-six-years-old-i-fell-in-love-with-magic-for-christmas-i/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [I don't like to risk my life, so I prepare sometimes for months or sometimes for years. But sometimes after a walk, I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-don-t-like-to-risk-my-life-so-i-prepare-sometimes-for-months-or/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [When I perform outside, the major problem that could arise is strong wind.I spend months preparing for the types of wind that occur in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/when-i-perform-outside-the-major-problem-that-could-arise-is-strong/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [If I have to make a self-portrait, I would put poetry and rebellion on the list. To be able to walk on a wire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/if-i-have-to-make-a-self-portrait-i-would-put-poetry-and-rebellion-on/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [Whenever other worlds invite us, whenever we are balancing on the boundaries of our limited human condition, that’s where life starts, that’s where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/whenever-other-worlds-invite-us-whenever-we-are-balancing-on-the/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [I have walked many times around the world and each time it's different from the last one. It feels a little bit like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-have-walked-many-times-around-the-world-and-each-time-it-s/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [I am a thief of knowledge, and in a survival way, I had to solve all the problems around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-am-a-thief-of-knowledge-and-in-a-survival-way-i-had-to-solve-all/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [Metaphorically speaking, of course, if I put a problem behind my pillow and fall asleep, very often because my brain went to sleep with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/metaphorically-speaking-of-course-if-i-put-a-problem-behind-my-pillow/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [I was never part of the sailing circle, but I enjoy when I'm invited to sail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-was-never-part-of-the-sailing-circle-but-i-enjoy-when-i-m-invited/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) [Explore all 124 Philippe Petit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have been performing in the street for more than 50 years: magic for basically 60 years, and the high wire 45 years. 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