169 Quotes by Misty Copeland

I think, as a child, there weren't dreams. I can't recall as a child having some ultimate dream and thinking that it was possible.

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.

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.

Finding ballet was like finding this missing piece of myself.

I think that the ideal physique and look of a ballerina is always changing with different eras. And it's continuing to change.

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.

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

The classical ballet world is so exclusive and small, and a lot of people don't know about it.

'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.