Martha Graham Quotes

"Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men."

"Age' is the acceptance of a term of years. But maturity is the glory of years."

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique."

"I did not want to be a tree, a flower or a wave. In a dancer's body, we as audience must see ourselves, not the imitated behavior of everyday actions, not the phenomenon of nature, not exotic creatures from another planet, but something of a miracle."

"I did not want to be a tree, a flower or a wave. In a dancer's body, we as audience must see ourselves, not the imitated behavior of everyday actions, not the phenomenon of nature, not exotic creatures from another planet, but something of the miracle that is a human being."

"No artist is ahead of his time. He is his time; it is just that others are behind the times."

"'Age' is the acceptance of a term of years. But maturity is the glory of years."

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul."

"The body never lies."

"Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance is a celebration of that miracle."

"Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body."

"The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body."

"We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. One becomes in some area an athlete of God."

"Censorship is the height of vanity."

"You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost."

"The only sin is mediocrity."

"Misery is a communicable disease."

"Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion."

"Learn by practice."

"Nothing is more revealing than movement."