Mikhail Baryshnikov

I was very restless. I really wanted to be a part of a kind of a progressive society. I was fed up with these Communist doctrines and you were hassled all the time with members of the Party committee who were KGB, what you have to do, where in the West you can go or not to go.

My mother had a son from previous marriage and her husband died in Second World War.

You cannot be happy with your family while being personally unhappy with your work. It's a Catch-22 kind of thing.

A country like Belgium, or socialist countries in central Europe spend more money on art education than the United States, which is a really puzzling thought.

No dancer can watch Fred Astaire and not know that we all should have been in another business.

I like to go to anybody else's birthday, and if I'm invited I'm a good guest. But I never celebrate my birthdays. I really don't care.

People of art should never get married and have children, because it's a selfish experience.

I think art education, especially in this country, which government pretty much ignores, is so important for young people.

When I'm alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes without and sometimes just listening to NPR.

People dance at any age.

Your body actually reminds you about your age and your injuries - the body has a stronger memory than your mind.