Agnes de Mille Quotes

My compulsion is to create things.

Find the passion. It takes great passion and great energy to do anything creative. I would go so far as to say you can't do it without that passion.

True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.

For me, it would be pointless to write a novel that I knew I could complete within a specific length of time. I could do that only by repeating something I had done before, and I've never wanted to do that.

All good things which exist are the fruits of originality.

Passion is in all great searches and is necessary to all creative endeavors.

I don't want ever to be guilty of what my critics claim: doing formula without original elements.

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.

We can use techniques in modifying things, in controlling things, but the first impulse has to be something that you simply cannot make just out of technique, or else it becomes perfectly evident that it is nothing but technique that you're exercising.

Creativity is the greatest expression of liberty.

Creativity is down the tube. And people give a lot of lip service to individuality. I know they all appreciate it, but they all say they would like to do it, but they don't want to work at it, and it doesn't come out of the sky.

It's so important to me that I feel like I'm doing something that's never been done before, whether that's in the show, or I'm writing a song. I can exist in this little box here, but I have to do something new with it.

It is always possible to create something original.

Every production of genius must be the production of enthusiasm.

A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great.

A lot of people forget how important it is to be creative. We get caught up in getting ahead and in day-to-day minutiae. But creativity is a fundamental mode of expression, as is being tenacious and standing by your own convictions and passions, even if it's not the 'popular' choice.

You have to remember you're an artist and get hungry.

My capacity for wanting to create has never faltered. If anything, it's gained momentum.

When I'm hard at work, when I'm deep in it, there is no other feeling. For me, my work is at all times building a nation out of thin air. It is manning the troops. It is painting a canvas. It is hitting every high note. It is running a marathon. It is being Beyonce. And it is all of those things at the same time.

Artists are supposed to stay hungry.

When I get an artistic itch, I have to scratch it.

Creativity is not about making 30 songs in 30 days. It's never about demand and supply. No one can possibly do that.

This is a fast-paced world we live in, especially the sports and entertainment industry. There is a constant demand for performance, for something new, something excellent. That doesn't just happen. You have to have enough inside to pour out.

I hope that the things that I sing about will be an inspiration for people to be original.

As an aspiring artist, you should strive for originality of vision. Have something to say and a fresh way of saying it. No story is worth the writing, no picture worth the making, if it’s not the work of the imagination.