--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am still on stage. If you read…" description: "\"I am still on stage. If you read Press...you would believe that I should be gone. But here I am doing it and DOING IT WELL!\" — Rudolf Nureyev" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/rudolf-nureyev-29098_ballet_i-am-still-on-stage-if-you-read-press-yo_3232726.jpg" --- # I am still on stage. If you read Press...you would believe… ![“I am still on stage. If you read Press...you would believe that I should be gone. But here I am doing it and DOING IT WELL!” quote by Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/rudolf-nureyev-29098_ballet_i-am-still-on-stage-if-you-read-press-yo_3232726.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/rudolf-nureyev-29098_ballet_i-am-still-on-stage-if-you-read-press-yo_3232726.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a6/rudolf-nureyev-29098_ballet_i-am-still-on-stage-if-you-read-press-yo_3232726.jpg) > “I am still on stage. If you read Press...you would believe that I should be gone. But here I am doing it and DOING IT WELL!” [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He asserts his continued relevance and success despite expectations of retirement or decline. **In simple terms:** He’s still performing well despite doubts. Key Takeaway Keep proving your worth regardless of expectations. Themes resilience confidence performance Mood determined proud Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - stage performance - career transition - media scrutiny Key Concepts self‑efficacy public perception career longevity Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain excellence under pressure? - What fuels your drive to defy expectations? A Different Perspective Critics may overlook underlying challenges he faces. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/press/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [In my first stand-up acts there wasn't material even. You know, I'd go on stage and cry and read a Dear John letter or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/in-my-first-stand-up-acts-there-wasn-t-material-even-you-know-i-d-go/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [I never read the good press and never read the bad press. If you believe the good press you're finished. If you believe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-kirwan/i-never-read-the-good-press-and-never-read-the-bad-press-if-you/) [Dervla Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-kirwan/) > [Technique is what you fall back on when you run out of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/technique-is-what-you-fall-back-on-when-you-run-out-of-inspiration/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [When I miss class for one day, I know it. When I miss class for two days, my teacher knows it. When I miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/when-i-miss-class-for-one-day-i-know-it-when-i-miss-class-for-two/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [Here I am, fifty-eight, and I still don't know what I'm going to be when I grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/here-i-am-fifty-eight-and-i-still-don-t-know-what-i-m-going-to-be/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [I been doing the same things as in my younger days, when I was coming up, and now here I am, an old man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lee-hooker/i-been-doing-the-same-things-as-in-my-younger-days-when-i-was-coming/) [John Lee Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lee-hooker/) > [I didn't know that you could race your bike until after college. I didn't know anything about cycling except that I rode my bike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-armstrong/i-didn-t-know-that-you-could-race-your-bike-until-after-college-i/) [Kristin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-armstrong/) > [I grew up in Louisiana, a lot of carbohydrates, fried foods, all very good. Butter, lots of homemade cakes and cookies. Here I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-landry/i-grew-up-in-louisiana-a-lot-of-carbohydrates-fried-foods-all-very/) [Ali Landry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-landry/) > [So here I am, sending a two-ounce mouse down into a dungeon with a sewing needle to save a human princess, and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/so-here-i-am-sending-a-two-ounce-mouse-down-into-a-dungeon-with-a/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [Now you shall consider My love in the Blessed Sacrament. Here, I am entirely yours, soul, body and divinity, as your Bridegroom. You know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-faustina-kowalska/now-you-shall-consider-my-love-in-the-blessed-sacrament-here-i-am/) [Mary Faustina Kowalska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-faustina-kowalska/) > [My personal relationship with music is an imperfect harmony because I never studied music, but here I am not just writing for bands but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-an-imperfect-harmony-because-i/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [People that don’t know and hear about it, they start to think that all the people that do jiu-jitsu smokes pot, is a drug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/royce-gracie/people-that-don-t-know-and-hear-about-it-they-start-to-think-that-all/) [Royce Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/royce-gracie/) > [After a few days in hospital, I was thinking, Oh, gee - I raised in a church, Protestant upbringing which I'd rejected as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/after-a-few-days-in-hospital-i-was-thinking-oh-gee-i-raised-in-a/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [There was a time I wanted to go into politics. And so all of a sudden, here I am, I guess. I'm in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/there-was-a-time-i-wanted-to-go-into-politics-and-so-all-of-a-sudden/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Towers in a modern town are a frill and a survival; they seem like the raised hands of the various churches, afraid of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/towers-in-a-modern-town-are-a-frill-and-a-survival-they-seem-like-the/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) ## More by Rudolf Nureyev > [The only critic is a full house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/the-only-critic-is-a-full-house/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [When I miss class for one day, I know it. When I miss class for two days, my teacher knows it. When I miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/when-i-miss-class-for-one-day-i-know-it-when-i-miss-class-for-two/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [The main thing is dancing, and before it withers away from my body, I will keep dancing till the last moment, the last drop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/the-main-thing-is-dancing-and-before-it-withers-away-from-my-body-i/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [I approach dancing from a different angle than those who begin dancing at 8 or 9. Those who have studied from the beginning never question anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/i-approach-dancing-from-a-different-angle-than-those-who-begin/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [My feet are dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/my-feet-are-dogs/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [Technique is what you fall back on when you run out of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/technique-is-what-you-fall-back-on-when-you-run-out-of-inspiration/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [As long as my ballets are danced, I will live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/as-long-as-my-ballets-are-danced-i-will-live/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [Of course I have a personal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/of-course-i-have-a-personal-life/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [I’m really alive when I’m on stage,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/i-m-really-alive-when-i-m-on-stage/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [For me, purity of movement wasn't enough. I needed expression, more intensity, more mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/for-me-purity-of-movement-wasn-t-enough-i-needed-expression-more/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [We danced with one body, one soul... For me, Margot is my family. She is all I have, only her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/we-danced-with-one-body-one-soul-for-me-margot-is-my-family-she-is/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [I don't care if Margot is a Dame of the British Empire or older than myself. For me she represents eternal youth; there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/i-don-t-care-if-margot-is-a-dame-of-the-british-empire-or-older-than/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [What is art? It is not just nature, it is nurtured nature. It is intelligence applied to what physical ability you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/what-is-art-it-is-not-just-nature-it-is-nurtured-nature-it-is/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [There was simply from this quite early age the awareness that the only thing I wanted was to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/there-was-simply-from-this-quite-early-age-the-awareness-that-the/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) > [I really have to dance more often, and so I travel around. If I don't, I will crumble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-nureyev/i-really-have-to-dance-more-often-and-so-i-travel-around-if-i-don-t-i/) [Rudolf Nureyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) [Explore all 18 Rudolf Nureyev quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-nureyev/) ## 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 > [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 > [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": "I am still on stage. If you read Press...you would believe that I should be gone. 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