The formal education that I received made little sense to me.

Optimism with some experience behind it is much more energizing than plain old experience with a certain degree of cynicism.

My mother was the first woman in the county in Indiana where we were born, in Jay County, to have a college degree. She was educated as a pianist and she wanted to concertize, but when the war came she was married, had a family, so she started teaching.

The only thing I fear more than change is no change. The business of being static makes me nuts.

I thought I had to make an impact on history. I had to become the greatest choreographer of my time. That was my mission. Posterity deals with us however it sees fit. But I gave it 20 years of my best shot.