It is always thought that he gave more than what he received, but to give something, you must have something inside. - Rudolf Nureyev

I think dancers are paid not for what they do, but for the fear they feel. What you do is probably not that difficult: you just get on stage. It is, however, fear that gives you the push.

Nureyev had an iron will and was totally dedicated to his art. He became the highest paid ballet dancer in the world, he made ballet popular, he became the rock-star of ballet, he changed male dancing in the classics making the part of the male dancer the equal of the ballerina; he created a new approach to ballet erasing the differences between classical ballet and modern dancing.

Everyone would like to be the greatest, but God cannot bestow that honor on everyone.