Agnes de Mille: “We have to really be tough on ourselves.”
“We have to admit where and when we fail. We have to look at our lives the way we examine homes or boats before we buy them. Where are the cracks in the foundation? This section over here is rotting away. My God, we kick the tires of the car. So, we have to really be tough on ourselves. I did not have the gift of ballet. I had the passion, but I am not built for classical ballet. Now, I’d be stupid to persist, but I’d also be stupid not to pursue something I loved, so I found another way to be in the dance. I found a way to contribute. We don’t tell people to get out and go away, but it’s our obligation to tell people where they’re likely to fail, and where they might go to do good.” — Agnes de Mille/Interview with James Grissom/NYC, 1990/Photograph, from 1966, by Jack Mitchell.
