Margot Fonteyn

“A dancer's life is all about the next performance. The last one is gone.”

“The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous.”

“Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art. Any sort of pretension induces mediocrity in art and life alike.”

“Take your work seriously but never yourself.”

“Genius is another word for magic, and the whole point of magic is that it is inexplicable.”

“Life is the great teacher. It is the only one.”

“The first time you do a thing is always exciting.”

“Without technique, you have nothing. Without technique, you can’t get your ideas across.”

“Ballet is a dance executed by the human soul.”

“Audiences are not fools. They can tell when a performer is faking.”

“I think you have to be in love with your partner. It's a kind of acting. You have to be in love with the person you are dancing with.”

“I never had any ambition to be a prima ballerina. I just wanted to dance.”