Agnes De Mille

Agnes George de Mille (September 18, 1905 October 7, 1993) was an American dancer and choreographer. She was born in Harlem into a well-connected family of theater professionals (her uncle was Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille, and Agnes de Mille was also the granddaughter of economist Henry George).

6 Quotes

The creative urge is the demon that will not accept anything second rate.

Agnes De Mille

Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.

Agnes De Mille

Theater people are always pining and agonizing because they're afraid that they'll be forgotten. And in America they're quite right. They will be.

Agnes De Mille

Anything can happen in adolescence. It is always a risky time. Ugly ducklings can sometimes change into swans. The reverse is equally possible. The best-brought-up child is taken over by powers as divorced from daily habits as earthquakes.

Agnes De Mille

After sixteen--this is it--for life. The chances are good you won't like it.

Agnes De Mille

I learned three important things in college--to use a library, to memorize quickly and visually, to drop asleep at any time given a horizontal surface and fifteen minutes. What I could not learn was to think creatively on schedule.

Agnes De Mille