169 Quotes by Misty Copeland

Ballet found me. I was discovered by a teacher in middle school. I always danced, my whole life. I never had any training, never was exposed to seeing dance, but I always had something inside of me.

I do think Under Armour is setting a new example for what a ballerina is, and that you can be feminine and an athlete and represent what a woman is at the same time.

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.

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

I just want to leave a positive memory of setting an example and bringing our youth with us.

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.

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.

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.

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