If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it
Isadora DuncanRead
For I was never able to understand, then or later on, why, if one wanted to do a thing, one should not do it. For I have never waited to do as I wished. This has frequently brought me to disaster and calamity, but at least I have had the the satisfaction of getting my own way.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the value of pursuing one's desires despite potential consequences.
Isadora Duncan's quote highlights a personal philosophy of acting on one's wishes without hesitation. She acknowledges that this approach has led to experiences of disaster and calamity, but she also derives satisfaction from following her own desires and beliefs. This reflects a sense of courage and autonomy in the face of societal expectations or fears of failure.
Themes
DesireSatisfactionCourageAutonomyConsequence
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing dreams and passions.
More from Isadora Duncan
All quotes →The dancer of the future will be one whose body & soul have grown so harmoniously together that the natural language of the soul will have become the movement of the body.
Isadora DuncanRead
A dancer, if she is great, can give to the people something that they can carry with them forever. They can never forget it, and it has changed them, though they may never know it.
Isadora DuncanRead
Master technique, so that technique NEVER prevents you from dancing.
Isadora DuncanRead
Oh Woman, come before us, before our eyes longing for beauty, and tired of the ugliness of civilization, come in simple tunics, letting us see the line and harmony of the body beneath, and dance for us. Dance us the sweetness of life. Give us again the sweetness and the beauty of the true dance, give us again the joy of seeing the simple unconscious pure body of a woman. Like a great call it has come, and women must hear it and answer it.
Isadora DuncanRead
I have only danced my life. As a child I danced the spontaneous joy of growing things. As an adolescent, I danced with joy turning to apprehension of the first realisation of tragic undercurrents; apprehension of the pitiless brutality and crushing progress of life.
Isadora DuncanRead
Similar quotes
Until one has given all, one has given nothing.
Georges GuynemerRead
Parliaments have stopped laughing at woman suffrage, and politicians have begun to dodge! It is the inevitable premonition of coming victory.
Carrie Chapman CattRead
After the Tiananmen Massacre, I felt compelled not only to continue writing but to actively resist the restrictions placed on freedom of speech. I set up the publishing company in Hong Kong, with offices in Shenzhen in mainland China, and managed to publish works of fiction, philosophy, and politics by unapproved authors.
Ma JianRead
One of the biggest ways we don't support ourselves is by not asking for support. Asking can take courage, but the reward is immense.
Gabrielle BernsteinRead
When I was 10 years old, my neighbor died in front of me of an asthma attack, because he and his family were undocumented immigrants and his grandmother was afraid of what would happen if they called an ambulance for help.
Leana S. WenRead
You cannot rely on other people's support.
Malala YousafzaiRead