Wendy Whelan

I feel the ticking clock. And at times, I've said if I don't dance, I'd rather die.

The moment is everything. Don't think about tomorrow; don't think about yesterday: think about exactly what you're doing right now and live it and dance it and breath it and be it.

Being a ballerina, you don't ever want to show yourself less than perfect, ever. That's what your goal is: 24/7 perfection.

Certain people have certain ways of focusing on things, and some arrange their lens to a pinhole in order to focus only on their goal. Others have a giant lens, and they take in the whole panorama. I was that pinhole kind of person.

Aging gracefully means being flexible, being open, allowing change, enjoying change and loving yourself.

I look back, and I have no regrets, truly. Everything led me to the place where I am now.

I have a lot of energy, a lot of interest, a lot of desire.

When you are a kid, you find so much comfort in dancing. I was comforted.

I've always felt like a different kind of ballerina.

A lot of my career and my drive and my passion and my striving to be better and better was built on insecurity.

Sometimes I miss being en pointe, but not a whole lot. Every once and a while, I would love to float for a minute on a shoe. But for the most part, I did it long enough that it's OK.

So much is made about the beginnings of ballet careers, the rosebud, and then once the petals and leaves start falling off, is it beautiful anymore? Some people think it is; some people don't. The expectation is to focus on the very beautiful parts, not the ending.