--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not stop dancing; I did take two…" description: "\"I did not stop dancing; I did take two years off to get myself together\" — Vanessa Carlton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/vanessa-carlton-16537_dance_i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-ye_2111468.png" --- # I did not stop dancing; I did take two years off to get… ![“I did not stop dancing; I did take two years off to get myself together” quote by Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/vanessa-carlton-16537_dance_i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-ye_2111468.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/vanessa-carlton-16537_dance_i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-ye_2111468.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/vanessa-carlton-16537_dance_i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-ye_2111468.png) > “I did not stop dancing; I did take two years off to get myself together” [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Taking a break to regroup can be a strategic pause, not a failure, allowing renewed creativity and purpose. **In simple terms:** Breaks can restore focus. Key Takeaway Pause, then return stronger. Themes self‑care creativity resilience Mood thoughtful encouraging Type personal motivational When to use this quote - career change - creative projects - personal setbacks Key Concepts personal growth career management mental health Questions to Reflect On - How long is a healthy break for you? - What helps you regain momentum after a pause? A Different Perspective Too long a pause may cause loss of momentum. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Dancing Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing-did-336796/) [Did Stop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-stop-952207/) [Did Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-years-815503/) [Stop Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-dancing-313111/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Two years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-years/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [I always did each show for about two years. So if you play the music, it just comes back to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-verdon/i-always-did-each-show-for-about-two-years-so-if-you-play-the-music/) [Gwen Verdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-verdon/) > [My energy just couldn’t stop dancing. I was caught up in the music of struggle, and i wanted to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/my-energy-just-couldn-t-stop-dancing-i-was-caught-up-in-the-music-of/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [I think that I burnt myself out a little bit with my dancing because I did so much of it. I was exhausted so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-think-that-i-burnt-myself-out-a-little-bit-with-my-dancing-because/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [The only dancing I did was at the discotheques. I was a very good disco dancer. I say that I learned disco dancing at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-only-dancing-i-did-was-at-the-discotheques-i-was-a-very-good/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [“Would you like to dance?" I knew I had frosting on my nose. Alex leaned over and wuped it off with his thumb. "Well?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/would-you-like-to-dance-i-knew-i-had-frosting-on-my-nose-alex-leaned/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [“in some cultures, doctors don’t ask, “When did you start to feel depressed?” but, “When did you stop dancing?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-williams/in-some-cultures-doctors-don-t-ask-when-did-you-start-to-feel/) [Mark Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-williams/) > [Oh yeah, all right Don't stop the dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daft-punk/oh-yeah-all-right-don-t-stop-the-dancing/) [Daft Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daft-punk/) > [No matter how old you both get,never stop holding hands,never stop dancing and never stop saying I Love You.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikkie/no-matter-how-old-you-both-get-never-stop-holding-hands-never-stop/) [Nikkie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikkie/) > [I did almost two years on 'One Life to Live,' so I was thinking, 'Oh yeah, I'm an actor now.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-sears/i-did-almost-two-years-on-one-life-to-live-so-i-was-thinking-oh-yeah/) [Teddy Sears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-sears/) > [Before I wrote 'God's War,' I probably did eight years of research into the Middle East, Judaism, Islam, Catholicisim, and all sorts of fabulous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kameron-hurley/before-i-wrote-god-s-war-i-probably-did-eight-years-of-research-into/) [Kameron Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kameron-hurley/) > [What we did ten years ago with the Playstation was a phenomenal success story for the company. That product had a ten year life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-jackson/what-we-did-ten-years-ago-with-the-playstation-was-a-phenomenal/) [Ian Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-jackson/) > [I know I cannot do all the stuff that I did ten years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajendra-prasad/i-know-i-cannot-do-all-the-stuff-that-i-did-ten-years-ago/) [Rajendra Prasad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajendra-prasad/) > [I am a creator of TV shows. 'Lifestyle' ran for 14 years... that was pleasurable. We also had 'Runaway' for eight years. We did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/i-am-a-creator-of-tv-shows-lifestyle-ran-for-14-years-that-was/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [Back in 2008, after we'd won the election, no one really expected me to keep teaching. But I couldn't just walk away... So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/back-in-2008-after-we-d-won-the-election-no-one-really-expected-me-to/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [I don't remember what I did fifty years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-schwartz/i-don-t-remember-what-i-did-fifty-years-ago/) [Julius Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-schwartz/) ## More by Vanessa Carlton > [I went horseback riding and got a big chunk of horse manure kicked into my face. It has a way of slapping you right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-went-horseback-riding-and-got-a-big-chunk-of-horse-manure-kicked/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [I am always drawn to men that are funny. I do not know why. But I am always drawn to people that are struggling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-am-always-drawn-to-men-that-are-funny-i-do-not-know-why-but-i-am/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [But my mom was a pianist, and she taught piano out of her house. I was just so excited, being a little kid and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/but-my-mom-was-a-pianist-and-she-taught-piano-out-of-her-house-i-was/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [My songs are a direct route into my brain and my heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/my-songs-are-a-direct-route-into-my-brain-and-my-heart/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [I had no album title, and the album is like a journey in that it's a complete body of work. It's not just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-had-no-album-title-and-the-album-is-like-a-journey-in-that-it-s-a/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [The music industry is so easy compared to the ballet world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/the-music-industry-is-so-easy-compared-to-the-ballet-world/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [I work hard and I will always work hard. But I feel very lucky with the way that it has all come together. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-work-hard-and-i-will-always-work-hard-but-i-feel-very-lucky-with/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [Well, I would say that music just happens with me, I'm not in the driver's seat when I am at the piano, the piano…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/well-i-would-say-that-music-just-happens-with-me-i-m-not-in-the/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [I tour with a piano, actually. Luckily I am able to hire people that deal with it completely and magically a piano appears on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-tour-with-a-piano-actually-luckily-i-am-able-to-hire-people-that/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [The women who don't feel that people think they're sexy are the ones who seem to titillate in that way, because they don't feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/the-women-who-don-t-feel-that-people-think-they-re-sexy-are-the-ones/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [I don't use sex to sell records, obviously, but I'd be lying if I said that I don't feel like I have to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-don-t-use-sex-to-sell-records-obviously-but-i-d-be-lying-if-i-said/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [Writing this record let me recapture who I am. It is summed up in the title Be Not Nobody. You need to feel comfortable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/writing-this-record-let-me-recapture-who-i-am-it-is-summed-up-in-the/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [I don't put boundaries on myself when I sit at the piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-don-t-put-boundaries-on-myself-when-i-sit-at-the-piano/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [And it's sad because it's like a surprise to people - almost an anomaly - when artists are actually refined and trained on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/and-it-s-sad-because-it-s-like-a-surprise-to-people-almost-an-anomaly/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) > [I am not this big celebrity, but it gets really crazy. You have to go through the nuts of blowing up, in a sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-am-not-this-big-celebrity-but-it-gets-really-crazy-you-have-to-go/) [Vanessa Carlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) [Explore all 39 Vanessa Carlton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/) ## More Dance quotes > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I make dance music because I love to dance. But I want to think at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-make-dance-music-because-i-love-to-dance-but-i-want-to-think-at-the/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [I studied all kinds of dance, all types of music. I got good grades. I started hitting the recording studio around 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-derulo/i-studied-all-kinds-of-dance-all-types-of-music-i-got-good-grades-i/) [Jason Derulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-derulo/) > [I like Sam Smith and Taylor Swift. I love pop music, but I also like Sam Smith's slow songs. That would be more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddie-ziegler/i-like-sam-smith-and-taylor-swift-i-love-pop-music-but-i-also-like/) [Maddie Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maddie-ziegler/) > [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/) [Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [My body was so instrumental to how I took pictures: it was practically a dance. I used to use my legs a lot; now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/my-body-was-so-instrumental-to-how-i-took-pictures-it-was-practically/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [If you dance, you dance because you have to. Every dancer hurts, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/if-you-dance-you-dance-because-you-have-to-every-dancer-hurts-you-know/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [Being fit is the easiest part of being a dance professional. I used to just throw on a backpack full of rocks and run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-du-beke/being-fit-is-the-easiest-part-of-being-a-dance-professional-i-used-to/) [Anton du Beke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-du-beke/) > [I'm a horrible dancer, but I wanted to record songs that made me want to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lane/i-m-a-horrible-dancer-but-i-wanted-to-record-songs-that-made-me-want/) [Chris Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lane/) [Browse all 9,682 Dance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did not stop dancing; I did take two years off to get myself together", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vanessa Carlton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-years-off-to-get-myself-together/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-years-off-to-get-myself-together/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/vanessa-carlton-16537_dance_i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-ye_2111468.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/vanessa-carlton-16537_dance_i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-ye_2111468.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06d/vanessa-carlton-16537_dance_i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-ye_2111468.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I did not stop dancing; I did take two years off to get myself together” — Vanessa Carlton", "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": "Vanessa Carlton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-carlton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I did not stop dancing; I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-years-off-to-get-myself-together/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-carlton/i-did-not-stop-dancing-i-did-take-two-years-off-to-get-myself-together/#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 } } ] } ```