Famous Quotes & Sayings

Misty Copeland Quotes & Sayings

Enjoy the top 100 famous quotes, sayings and quotations by Misty Copeland.

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Famous Quotes By Misty Copeland

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Meeting Raven Wilkinson and having her as a mentor, it was that kind of support from the generations that came before me that helped to lift me up and give me the confidence to then be able to give back and bring other minorities with me on this journey. — Misty Copeland

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Depending on the level you're at in your company, the higher you go up in rank, usually the longer you can dance. — Misty Copeland

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When people meet me in person, they're usually surprised at how petite I am because there's this idea that because I'm black, I just look a certain way. — Misty Copeland

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More often than we realize, people see in us what we don't see in ourselves. — Misty Copeland

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I feel like going to class every morning is so humbling. You're always working to improve, and you're always being critiqued on your next performance. It's not about what you've done. There's always room to grow. — Misty Copeland

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The path to your success is not as fixed and inflexible as you think. — Misty Copeland

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Once I became a professional, maybe 19 or 20, I really started to try to figure out who I was, as a woman and as an individual. — Misty Copeland

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Being the only African American at this level in American Ballet Theater, I feel like people are looking at me, and it's my responsibility for me to do whatever I can to provide these opportunities in communities to be able to educate them. — Misty Copeland

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Once you become a professional, to get through a ballet like 'Swan Lake' - four acts as the lead, changing character - the perseverance is incredible. It takes a lot to make it through and keep the same energy throughout the entire performance. — Misty Copeland

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You have to be the one promoting yourself. If you don't think that you're worthy, you're never going to make it. — Misty Copeland

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I've always approached my career and my life, you know, one day at a time, as if this was the last day that I'm going, because you never know as an athlete and as a dancer. You never know what can happen today, tomorrow. — Misty Copeland

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I was aware of my race from a very young age. Not in a negative way. Coming from an interracial background, I think it is important to understand who you are. — Misty Copeland

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I don't think a lot of people really understand the commitment it takes to being a character that an actor in Hollywood would take to approaching a role that they're doing. — Misty Copeland

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It's hard to change someone's ideas when they might not even really consciously know that they're being racist, or have racist ideas, just because ballet has been this way for hundreds of years. — Misty Copeland

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I believe that I definitely developed into a refined and graceful woman due to ballet. It has shaped me in every way. — Misty Copeland

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If the rhythm or beat of the music changes with a live orchestra, you have to think on your feet. If you feel like you are not on your leg, you have to make a decision to make it look as though nothing is going wrong. — Misty Copeland

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'The Firebird' just symbolizes a lot for me and my career. It was one of the first really big principal roles that I was ever given an opportunity to dance with American Ballet Theatre, and it was a huge step for the African-American community, I think, within the classical ballet world. — Misty Copeland

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But I think the more you eat healthy clean foods the more you create them. — Misty Copeland

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The fact that I was African American was never addressed, and that allowed me to just be a student, like anyone else. I was not aware of how rare it was to be an African American, how rare it was to have four years of training under my belt, and how, even though I could imitate people and fake it, unprepared I was to become a professional. — Misty Copeland

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I say over and over again that I am just standing on the shoulders of so many who have set this path for me, and they may not be seen or recognized or have been given an opportunity to have a voice, but I'm here representing all of those dancers. Dance Theatre of Harlem Virginia Johnson, Tai Jimenez, Lauren Anderson. — Misty Copeland

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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 anxious. — Misty Copeland

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All you can do is be your best self. I'm representing more than just me. I think everyone should be like that. — Misty Copeland

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It takes a lot of money to be a part of the ballet world. Both the training and the supplies are expensive, the shoes, the leotards and the tights. — Misty Copeland

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You can dream big and it doesn't matter what you look like, where you come from. — Misty Copeland

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Some people even think that I'm still just not right for it [ballet]. And I think it's shocking because they hear those words from critics saying I'm too bulky, I'm too busty. And then they meet me in person and they're like, you look like a ballerina. And I think it's just something maybe that I will never escape from, those people who are narrow-minded. But my mission, my voice, my story, my message, is not for them. And I think it's more important to think of the people that I am influencing and helping to see a broader picture of what beauty is. — Misty Copeland

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I think most people think of ballerinas as kind of either as a fairytale, far-away thing that's really not attainable, something they can't grasp, or they think of them as European or Russian and kind of their nose up in the air. So, it's cool for me to, like, sit with them and for them to really see themselves as me. — Misty Copeland

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There are hundreds of stories I've heard from black women from my generation, generations before me, and the next, that have never been given an opportunity to fulfill their dreams. — Misty Copeland

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This is for the little brown girls. — Misty Copeland

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When you see the body outside of a costume and see the strength that it takes, people would look at dance a different way and see how athletic it is. You're not just born like that. — Misty Copeland

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My goal has always been to be a principal dancer with ABT. — Misty Copeland

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It's hard to be the one that stands out when, you know, in a ballet company, you're trying to create unison and uniform when you're in a corps de ballet. — Misty Copeland

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Going on stage and transcending the audience and becoming this otherworldly thing makes you a dancer. It's not so black and white. — Misty Copeland

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Most ballerinas take their first ballet class when they are 5 or 6 years old. I was 13 when I took mine on the basketball court of the San Pedro Boys & Girls Club in California. — Misty Copeland

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I think body-image issues are not just a dancer thing. I think we're much more in tune and aware because the body is our instrument and art, and we stare at ourselves in a mirror all day, but I feel like it's something that every woman experiences and every girl experiences. — Misty Copeland

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Growing up, I was surrounded by R&B and Hip-Hop, and the closest thing I could find to dance was gymnastics which I watched on TV. So, I just used those avenues I found available right in my milieu to express what was inside of me. — Misty Copeland

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Barack Obama being President of the United States doesn't mean racism has disappeared. It's all a process, and we have to be aware that the work never ends. — Misty Copeland

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I am a black woman, and my experiences would not be what they are if I wasn't. I'm so happy to share those experiences for other people to be able to learn from them. — Misty Copeland

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I definitely like to be natural and more relaxed and not wear a lot of makeup. — Misty Copeland

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To be empathetic to everyone around you, I think, is such a powerful thing to hold. — Misty Copeland

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I ended up training only for four years before I was accepted into American Ballet Theater in New York City. — Misty Copeland

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40 years old is about the time a principal dancer would start to think about retirement, but some go on to dance a little bit longer than that. — Misty Copeland

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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 is so detailed. — Misty Copeland

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I think I always felt a connection to music and to movement. Growing up, I was surrounded by R&B and Hip-Hop, and the closest thing I could find to dance was gymnastics which I watched on TV. — Misty Copeland

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Every time I step onto the stage, it's not only proving to the audience that I'm capable but to myself. — Misty Copeland

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I had no idea what I was walking into, and the years and years of hard work it would take. I felt like an outsider and like it was never going to happen. But even if I would have known, I think I still would have done it. Dancers are perfectionists, and that's what keeps us going and growing. — Misty Copeland

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I'm definitely influenced by the music. We dance to music, and you have to listen to it and phrase your dancing and movement in a certain way to compliment the music. We have to work hand in hand, the dancer and the music. — Misty Copeland

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Being in ballet class, being on the stage, being surrounded by my peers at American Ballet Theater every day, keeps me so humble and grounded. Being in ballet class, I feel, is like this meditation for me every morning. — Misty Copeland

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I was seventeen when I moved to New York. I was nineteen when I joined the main company. I was going through a lot. Just becoming an adult and just wanting to fit in, be accepted, and be in common with the other dancers. — Misty Copeland

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I feel like with 'On the Town,' it was the perfect production and the perfect opportunity. — Misty Copeland

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It's going to take a while before we see a real shift in the students and the dancers that are going into professional companies because it takes so many years of training, but I do think that there's a new crop of dancers, of minority dancers that are entering into the ballet world. — Misty Copeland

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I had some really incredible people who mentored me and gave me things I never got from my parents. — Misty Copeland

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Ballet became this escape for me. I feel like I was on my own a lot. I was searching for stability, so I was going off on my own and imagining what I thought stability was. Ballet became a way for me to cope. — Misty Copeland

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Ballet was so structured. I'd been craving something that could guide me. — Misty Copeland

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Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you. — Misty Copeland

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I don't think every African-American or Latino have the same body type, but, yes, that's been one of the excuses ... saying that African-Americans are too muscular or just aren't lean enough. Usually they say, "Oh, they have flat feet so they just don't have the flexibility that it takes to create the line in a point shoe." — Misty Copeland

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The woman represents ballet. She is most important, powerful and vital to it. Therefore, she is not "less than" a man. If anything she is "more than" in this field. — Misty Copeland

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When I was younger, my feet would hurt a lot, but you build up calluses and strength, and you don't feel as much pain there. But then again, it's a give and take. The older you get, you may feel pain in your back or your hips. — Misty Copeland

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All you can do is be your best self. I've always felt that I had to be that much more aware of how I present myself. I'm representing more than just me. I think every person should think that way. — Misty Copeland

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I'm a pescatarian, so I don't eat red meat or pork. So my dinners usually consist of seafood in some way. And maybe cookies after! — Misty Copeland

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Perseverance has always just been something that was in me. And it was a tool that came in very handy as a ballerina. — Misty Copeland

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You can do anything you want, even if you are being told negative things.stay strong and find motivation — Misty Copeland

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'The Company' was interesting. I didn't love it, although it might be compelling to someone who isn't a dancer. There wasn't a lot of dialogue, and you were just kind of observing the creative process of choreography and in class. — Misty Copeland

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I do think that it's a responsibility when there are so few of us as African Americans to kind of get to that place of success in a positive light. We should take a stance and stand for something and use that platform for positivity. — Misty Copeland

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Even if I weren't learning new roles and getting the opportunity to be coached by incredible people, I still think I would be so excited to have an opportunity to continue to push myself and grow, as an artist. — Misty Copeland

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Ballet was this thing that just felt so innate in me, like I was meant to be doing this. — Misty Copeland

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I want to bring awareness to the lack of diversity in ballet, and feel like that's a large part of my purpose. — Misty Copeland

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Just to get into a company like ABT is a dream come true, but to have all of these opportunities on top of it, I don't think it will hit me until I'm 70. I'll be like, "Oh, my god, remember that amazing life you had?" It's an incredible honor to be a part of something like ABT. — Misty Copeland

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I never experienced getting nervous on stage. I think I was most comfortable there. — Misty Copeland

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When it came to my childhood - growing up in a single-parent home, often struggling financially - my mother definitely instilled in me and my siblings this strength, this will, to just continue to survive and succeed. — Misty Copeland

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I knew that I just didn't have it in me to give up, even if I sometimes felt like a fool for continuing to believe. — Misty Copeland

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Decide what you want. Declare it to the world. See yourself winning. And remember that if you are persistent as well as patient, you can get whatever you seek. — Misty Copeland

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I grew up poor in San Pedro, California, sleeping on the floor of shady motels with my five siblings and not always sure when or where I'd get my next meal. — Misty Copeland

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In the ballet studio, it was such an organized and disciplined environment, like I'd never had in my life. Seeing myself in the mirror, surrounded by the classical music, that's when I started to fall in love with dance. — Misty Copeland

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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 ballet class. My everyday life is pretty normal. — Misty Copeland

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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

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I was definitely a late bloomer and didn't really come into my own until I was probably in my 20s. — Misty Copeland

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I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday — Misty Copeland

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I didn't want to be the best at anything; I just wanted to blend in. And that was kind of my existence throughout my family experiences at home of just kind of blending in in the background through my other siblings, which was easy to do. — Misty Copeland

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As a child, I had been told that I was exactly what a ballerina should be. — Misty Copeland

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That something that I fought so hard for throughout the beginning of my career is I didn't want to pancake my skin a lighter color to fit into the ... ballet. I wanted to be myself. I didn't want to have to wear makeup that made my nose look thinner. — Misty Copeland

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Being one of the few African American women to make it to this level in a classical ballet company, the level of American Ballet Theatre, takes a lot of perseverance. — Misty Copeland

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Physical fears change and shift depending on the role and depending on the mindset I'm in. — Misty Copeland

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I just try to approach every opportunity on stage, as if it's my first time and my last time. — Misty Copeland

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I shouldn't even be wearing a tutu. I don't have the right legs, my muscles are too big. — Misty Copeland

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What you put into your body is just as important as how hard you dance. I believe with the right training and an understanding of how to take care of your body, you can mold it to be whatever you want it to be. — Misty Copeland

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When I was a little girl, I was incredibly shy. My hope was to blend in, to fit in, to not be noticed in any significant way. I was deeply insecure and unsure of myself. — Misty Copeland

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I've gotten nothing but warmth from the Black community and positive feedback. — Misty Copeland

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When I was dancing, I felt in control and happy. I'm a Virgo, so I really like to be in control. — Misty Copeland

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The ballet world I don't think is an art form that is quick to change or to adjust or evolve. — Misty Copeland

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To have a platform like So You Think You Can Dance, where you're reaching this audience that's been created over the 10 years that they've been on the air. People who didn't know anything about dance and aren't going to go to the theater are learning about it, even if it's ballroom and jazz, by just turning their television ono. They're building this audience that's advanced and educated enough to introduce them to ballet. — Misty Copeland

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Going on stage and doing ballet, for the first time, was even more verification of, "This is what I'm meant to do. This is what I'm going to do. I'm going to make it somehow." — Misty Copeland

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I think most people don't really understand all that it takes to stand on your toes, and to be able to jump and land without any noise, or for a male dancer to be able to lift a girl. All of these things look so effortless, but there's an attention to detail and years of training, as well as being able to transform into a character and being able to meld all of those things together. — Misty Copeland

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I never thought of myself as special or particularly good at anything. But once I started ballet, suddenly I had a new identity: prodigy. — Misty Copeland

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What makes people and companies and artistic directors and choreographers interested in working with dancers is the ability to kind of let go of everything you think you know and be a blank canvas. — Misty Copeland

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I know that I'll forever be involved in ballet. This is where my life was meant to be, and I don't see myself straying completely away, ever. — Misty Copeland

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I'm a classical ballet dancer, and at the end of the day I want to be with American Ballet Theater, performing classical ballets. — Misty Copeland

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I would have young dancers come to me and ask me questions and want to know what my experiences were like: 'What's it like being a black dancer?' So I just felt like it was necessary for me to share my experiences with them. — Misty Copeland

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To be an artist and to be recognized by another artist who is, you know, just something you can't even put into words, someone that is so far beyond what the normal human being experience is in terms of creativity and originality. That was kind of a moment where I thought wow maybe I do have something more that makes me special. — Misty Copeland

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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 what makes me feel sane and not removed from the realities of my world. — Misty Copeland

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I don't want to be anything else other than a ballerina. I love what I do outside of my work, but at the end of the day, I have to sacrifice. — Misty Copeland