25 Quotes by Patricia McBride

I always had an inferiority complex, like I wasn't good enough. I was shy. But dancing gave me so much joy, and I was good at it. I felt like a whole person because I could dance.

I want to be happy, to look back and feel I danced well at the end of my career and didn't dwindle off. It would be too sad.

Conrad Ludlow was an extraordinary partner... We just called him the greatest partner because he just knew what a woman's balance was.

I cherish the ballets made for myself by Mr. Balanchine. He never lost his temper. He was quiet, humble, the genius of the 20th century.

I danced with Jacques d'Amboise. At that time, he was the tallest man in the company. So it was a different kind of choreography. It was lyrical.

I felt that Balanchine was my father towards me. He was the person I most admired and looked up to.

I used to say I didn't want to teach. I was still excited about dancing. It's hard to do both. It's as exhausting teaching as it is to dance.

I was determined to dance. That's why I lasted so long.

In Europe, a great dancer might be on the same level as a movie star. In America, not so.