--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was doing gymnastics, I was…" description: "\"When I was doing gymnastics, I was playing. It was fun. The ballet was not fun at all. Yes, I agree you must have discipline, but you don't need to be ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/sylvie-guillem-4764_ballet_when-i-was-doing-gymnastics-i-was-playin_2973411.jpg" --- # When I was doing gymnastics, I was playing. It was fun… ![“When I was doing gymnastics, I was playing. It was fun. The ballet was not fun at all. Yes, I agree you must have discipline, but you don't need to be a witch. You can't teach a child like that. Three times a week, I went back to train as a gymnast. Then I was happy.” quote by Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/sylvie-guillem-4764_ballet_when-i-was-doing-gymnastics-i-was-playin_2973411.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/sylvie-guillem-4764_ballet_when-i-was-doing-gymnastics-i-was-playin_2973411.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b0/sylvie-guillem-4764_ballet_when-i-was-doing-gymnastics-i-was-playin_2973411.jpg) > “When I was doing gymnastics, I was playing. It was fun. The ballet was not fun at all. Yes, I agree you must have discipline, but you don't need to be a witch. You can't teach a child like that. Three times a week, I went back to train as a gymnast. Then I was happy.” [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gymnastics was enjoyable and disciplined, unlike ballet, which felt restrictive; the speaker values happiness over rigid expectations. **In simple terms:** Gymnastics fun, ballet not. Key Takeaway Choose joy over strictness. Themes joy discipline choice Mood enthusiastic reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - coaching - career planning - mental health Key Concepts sports art personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What activities bring you joy? - How can you balance discipline with happiness? A Different Perspective Rigid expectations can limit creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Gymnastics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gymnastics/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) ## Related quotes > [Tango is about feeling and sensitivity, otherwise you are just doing gymnastics. You can do all the steps but it has to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-gavito/tango-is-about-feeling-and-sensitivity-otherwise-you-are-just-doing/) [Carlos Gavito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-gavito/) > [I love my height because when I'm doing gymnastics, it really benefits the sport - and also, I think being short is kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-hernandez/i-love-my-height-because-when-i-m-doing-gymnastics-it-really-benefits/) [Laurie Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-hernandez/) > [Basically, I'd finished doing gymnastics when I was 15, 16, but I'd stayed training because I'd just sort of loved it, and I'd met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-bell/basically-i-d-finished-doing-gymnastics-when-i-was-15-16-but-i-d/) [Zoe Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-bell/) > [Mentally there's no question about whether I still like the sport and love doing it. I think it's pretty clear to everyone here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-peszek/mentally-there-s-no-question-about-whether-i-still-like-the-sport-and/) Samantha Peszek > [I don't care what anybody says, thick black leather from head-to-toe is not the best thing to be doing gymnastics in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsden/i-don-t-care-what-anybody-says-thick-black-leather-from-head-to-toe/) [James Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsden/) > [It's definitely a necessity to make split-second decisions when you're doing gymnastics because things don't always go perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-dalton/it-s-definitely-a-necessity-to-make-split-second-decisions-when-you/) [Jacob Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-dalton/) > [I did ballet and gymnastics, and then I started acting when I was eight - just doing amateur theater at a place called Oldham…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-cooke/i-did-ballet-and-gymnastics-and-then-i-started-acting-when-i-was/) [Olivia Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-cooke/) > [“Through synergy of intellect, artistry and grace came into existence the blessing of a dancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/through-synergy-of-intellect-artistry-and-grace-came-into-existence/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) > [“Life is an affair of mystery; shared with companions of music, dance and poetry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/life-is-an-affair-of-mystery-shared-with-companions-of-music-dance/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) > [“Dance is the ritual of immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/dance-is-the-ritual-of-immortality/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) > [“Dance as the narration of a magical story; that recites on lips, illuminates imaginations and embraces the most sacred depths of souls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/dance-as-the-narration-of-a-magical-story-that-recites-on-lips/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) > [“Burdened no more is soul for whom life flows through dance like breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/burdened-no-more-is-soul-for-whom-life-flows-through-dance-like-breath/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) > [“If movements were a spark every dancer would desire to light up in flames.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/if-movements-were-a-spark-every-dancer-would-desire-to-light-up-in/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) > [“O wayfarer! Yearn finds quench, not in meadows, seashores or altitude of mountain peaks; but when being and dance are one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/o-wayfarer-yearn-finds-quench-not-in-meadows-seashores-or-altitude-of/) [Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/) > [I loved gymnastics, and my gymnastics teacher said ballet was essential to help my dance routines in competitions. I only really went because my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-bussell/i-loved-gymnastics-and-my-gymnastics-teacher-said-ballet-was/) [Darcey Bussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-bussell/) ## More by Sylvie Guillem > [On stage, you can bring all those strong emotions that you don't have the opportunity to live. You don't want to die for love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/on-stage-you-can-bring-all-those-strong-emotions-that-you-don-t-have/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [Having limits to push against is how you find out what you can do. I have always been full of contradictions. I am shy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/having-limits-to-push-against-is-how-you-find-out-what-you-can-do-i/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [I've learned to listen to what's going on with my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/i-ve-learned-to-listen-to-what-s-going-on-with-my-body/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [I can't have friends in every port. I have to work very hard and be very clear about what I want to do. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/i-can-t-have-friends-in-every-port-i-have-to-work-very-hard-and-be/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [Ballet is hard enough when you go with it; when you have to force your body to do things, it is so much harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/ballet-is-hard-enough-when-you-go-with-it-when-you-have-to-force-your/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [Terrorism is not a small problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/terrorism-is-not-a-small-problem/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [If you start dancing too young, it can be torture. The bone is too soft, and it is going everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/if-you-start-dancing-too-young-it-can-be-torture-the-bone-is-too-soft/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [Dancers, you know, they have pain everywhere: ankles in the morning, or back or neck or ribs or knees or the muscles. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/dancers-you-know-they-have-pain-everywhere-ankles-in-the-morning-or/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [If you are afraid of losing something, then you are dependent on it. If you are not afraid, then you are free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/if-you-are-afraid-of-losing-something-then-you-are-dependent-on-it-if/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [I was born with a different physical capacity to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/i-was-born-with-a-different-physical-capacity-to-other-people/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > ['Romeo and Juliet,' 'Manon,' 'Giselle' - they are not stupid stories. They have fantastic characters. They have a big package of emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/romeo-and-juliet-manon-giselle-they-are-not-stupid-stories-they-have/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [I loved being at the Royal Ballet. Those choreographers, MacMillan and Ashton, they knew how to translate complicated life into choreography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/i-loved-being-at-the-royal-ballet-those-choreographers-macmillan-and/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [One has to learn to say, 'Wait, there is a pain that is not logical. I will do a scan, and if there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/one-has-to-learn-to-say-wait-there-is-a-pain-that-is-not-logical-i/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [I was afraid when I came to the Royal Ballet that it would be easy to have everyone walking all over me if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/i-was-afraid-when-i-came-to-the-royal-ballet-that-it-would-be-easy-to/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [It is in my nature to be a little shy. It takes time for me to talk to people and trust them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/it-is-in-my-nature-to-be-a-little-shy-it-takes-time-for-me-to-talk-to/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) [Explore all 106 Sylvie Guillem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) ## 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": "When I was doing gymnastics, I was playing. It was fun. The ballet was not fun at all. Yes, I agree you must have discipline, but you don't need to be a witch. You can't teach a child like that. Three times a week, I went back to train as a gymnast. 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