Quotes about skating

A collection of quotes on the topic of skate, skating, ice, icing.

Quotes about skating

Yuzuru Hanyu photo
Yuzuru Hanyu photo

“A lot of people said to me that they were able to feel courage or happiness, for instance, when they see my performance. So, I believe that this is my motivation for skating, and that this gives me the reason to go on until the end.”

Yuzuru Hanyu (1994) Japanese figure skater (1994-)

CBC interview with Scott Russell
Original: (ja) いろんな方々が僕の演技を見た時に勇気を感じたとか、何か幸せになったとか、そういったことを言ってくれて、それが自分にとってのスケートのモチベーションだと思ってますし、それが僕が今スケートを最後までやり通す意味になってるなって思います。

Yuzuru Hanyu photo

“Because it’s the music that engenders the expression, artistry, and technique that is figure skating, I think that music and figure skating are essentially one and the same. [...] It’s my raison d'être. It’s the reason I skate.”

Yuzuru Hanyu (1994) Japanese figure skater (1994-)

Other quotes, 2020
Original: (ja) そこに音楽があるから、フィギュアスケートっていう表現だったり、芸術だったり、技術っていうものがそこに生まれてくるのであって、音楽とフィギュアスケートっていうのがほぼイコールだと僕は思ってます。で、僕にとっては… なんて言うか、生きがいです。フィギュアスケートをやる理由です。
Source: Hanyu in an interview from 2019 about the meaning of the music, aired 28 March 2020 in フィギペディア~2019-2020シーズン特別編 (Figurepedia 2019-2020 season special edition) on TV Asahi.

Yuzuru Hanyu photo

“Sometimes I can't explain or speak with words. It really feels a little frustrating. But in skating I can use all languages, for all the people. I can do a part of the performance for every country, every people.”

Yuzuru Hanyu (1994) Japanese figure skater (1994-)

Other quotes, 2019
Source: Interview after the freeskate at Skate Canada 2019, as transcribed by the International Skating Union, published on 28 October 2019 on their official YouTube-Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2guVNCyGL1M.

Yuzuru Hanyu photo
Yuzuru Hanyu photo

“My strength is, I’m able to really analyze myself and have that image and try to match that with the physical skating.”

Yuzuru Hanyu (1994) Japanese figure skater (1994-)

Hanyu quoted in an article https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/sports/olympics/figure-skating-yuzuru-hanyu.html of The New York Times, written by Jeré Longman and Victor Mather, published 16 February 2018. (Retrieved 10 September 2020)
Other quotes, 2018

Yuzuru Hanyu photo
Yuzuru Hanyu photo

“I'd like to overcome more barriers. I'd like to be in the position where, no matter what happens - even if they skate their free skate clean - if I skate clean, I will win.”

Yuzuru Hanyu (1994) Japanese figure skater (1994-)

Quote from the same article on the Olympic Channel linked above, published 3 April 2019.
Other quotes, 2019

Yuzuru Hanyu photo

““I believe – and this is the case not only for figure skating but for other forms of art including ballet and musicals as well – that this artistry is very much based on having the correct technique and a strong foundation at the core of everything. It is upon these that the artistry is built, and without that strong foundation and that basis in technique, it is not possible to have that full artistry required as well.””

Yuzuru Hanyu (1994) Japanese figure skater (1994-)

Source: Original: (ja) たとえばバレエとかミュージカルとかもそうですけれども、芸術というのは、明らかに正しい技術、徹底された基礎によって裏付けされた表現力、芸術であって、それが足りないと芸術にはならないと僕は思っています。

Source: Interview at the Foreign Correspondence Club of Japan from 27 February 2018
https://quotepark.com/authors/yuzuru-hanyu/

Surya Bonaly photo

“I'd rather skate naked than wear fur.”

Surya Bonaly (1973) French figure skater

Banner held for PETA, as she skated in Asnieres, near Paris (31 January 2007); as quoted in " 今天我最炫 Skate Naked 裸體滑冰 http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/international/20070202/3227612/", in the Apple Daily (2 February 2007).

“If you're skating on thin ice, you might as well dance.”

Anita Shreve (1946–2018) American writer

Source: Where or When

Johnny Weir photo

“I want people to be taken away to another planet when they watch me skate. I want them to be transported into a dream world.”

Johnny Weir (1984) figure skater

Source: Behind The Spangles, Weir Is A Man In Full, Trey Graham, National Public Radio, 2010-02-26 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124121023&ft=1&f=1008,

Ralph Waldo Emerson photo

“In skating over thin ice our safety is our speed.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American philosopher, essayist, and poet

Prudence
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
Variant: In skating over thin ice our safety is our speed.

Emil Zátopek photo

“It is not gymnastics or ice skating, you know.”

Emil Zátopek (1922–2000) Czech Olympic long-distance runner

Attributed by Tom Knight, "Zatopek: 'human locomotive' who made Olympic history", Telegraph, 23 November 2000 (Telegraph Media Group) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/2993266/Athletics-Zatopek-human-locomotive-who-made-Olympic-history.html
regarding his lack of finesse

Johnny Weir photo
Wayne Gretzky photo

“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it is.”

Wayne Gretzky (1961) Canadian ice hockey player

As quoted in: Prime time at ten: behind-the-camera battles of Canadian TV journalism (McClelland and Stewart, 1987), p. 317

Barack Obama photo
Kristi Yamaguchi photo

“Looking back, it's like, wow, those few minutes just made such an impact. We have that much time to kind of prove yourself. I think that's one thing that makes skating so exciting, because it's just intense, and it's quick, and one little slip can mean the difference between placing or not placing.”

Kristi Yamaguchi (1971) American figure skater

"Kristi Yamaguchi looks back on 1992 Olympic gold, talks Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan" in TODAY https://www.today.com/news/kristi-yamaguchi-looks-back-1992-olympic-gold-talks-tonya-harding-t122373 (6 February 2018)

Kristi Yamaguchi photo

“I’d never skated just to win a gold medal before; I’d never put that kind of pressure on myself.”

Kristi Yamaguchi (1971) American figure skater

"Kristi Yamaguchi, Unlaced" in Shondaland https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/a14436692/kristi-yamaguchi-interview/ (3 January 2018)

Rachel Caine photo

“Hell’s put in a skating rink,” Shane said. “This is actually edible, Eve.”

Rachel Caine (1962) American writer

Source: The Dead Girls' Dance

Dorothy Parker photo
H. Jackson Brown, Jr. photo
Roald Dahl photo

“If the Good Lord intended for us to walk, he wouldn't have invented rollar skates.”

Roald Dahl (1916–1990) British novelist, short story writer, poet, fighter pilot and screenwriter
Dr. Seuss photo
George Bernard Shaw photo
Scott Moir photo

“I would never even think about skating with somebody else. The whole reason I wanted to come back to skating was to be close to Tessa again, and to share those moments.”

Scott Moir (1987) Canadian figure skater

Scott Moir, quoted in "Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir Will Leave Huge Hole In Our Hearts, Canadian Figure Skating" https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/02/20/tessa-virtue-scott-moir-retirement-figure-skating-legacy_a_23366266/ (20 February 2018)
Partnership with Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir about Virtue

Edward Lucie-Smith photo

“A poet of my kind
Skates on the thinnest ice.”

Edward Lucie-Smith (1933) British art critic, writer and curator

Poem Postcard

Robert Benchley photo
Tessa Virtue photo
Bobby Hull photo
Tessa Virtue photo

“I would never even think about skating with somebody else. The whole reason I wanted to come back to skating was to be close to Tessa again, and to share those moments.”

Tessa Virtue (1989) Canadian ice dancer

Scott Moir, quoted in "Tessa Virtue, Scott Moir Will Leave Huge Hole In Our Hearts, Canadian Figure Skating" https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/02/20/tessa-virtue-scott-moir-retirement-figure-skating-legacy_a_23366266/ (20 February 2018)
Partnership with Scott Moir, Scott Moir about Virtue

Apolo Anton Ohno photo

“To be able to come out of that mess as I did is special. To be able to improve my relations with my dad is special. I'm happy with the way my life's going, the way I'm growing up as a person. Skating has changed me. I've had a lot of chances, and this is my time to shine.”

Apolo Anton Ohno (1982) American short track speed skating competitor

Prior to the 2002 Winter Olympics
Price, S.L. (2002) "Launch of Apolo" http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/news/2002/02/13/launch_of_apolo/ Sports Illustrated. (accessed May 24, 2007)

Anthony Burgess photo
Eric Idle photo

“Typical Hollywood crowd - all the kids are on drugs, and all the adults are on roller skates.”

Eric Idle (1943) British comedian, actor, singer and writer

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Jacques Plante photo

“My knees started to shake. In the dressing room that night, I was so nervous I couldn't tie my skates. Maurice Richard walked over and held out his hands. 'Look at them,' he said. 'They shake before a big game. You'll feel better when you get out on the ice.”

Jacques Plante (1929–1986) Canadian ice hockey player

Plante recalls his first playoff game, which he won 3–0.
Quoted in Kevin Shea, "One on One with Jacques Plante," http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/spot_oneononep197802.htm Legends of Hockey.net (2005-05-24)

John Updike photo

“He skates saucily over great tracts of confessed ignorance.”

John Updike (1932–2009) American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic

On T S Matthews, and his biography of T. S. Eliot, Great Tom (1974), in The New Yorker (25 March 1985)

Colin Wilson photo
Scott Moir photo
Douglas Coupland photo
Joni Mitchell photo
Johnny Weir photo

“If he doesn’t want to skate to music that’s pretty and wear a pretty costume, then go rollerblade or skateboard or do one of those extreme sports.”

Johnny Weir (1984) figure skater

About Evan Lysacek
"Figure Skating Rivalry Pits Athleticism Against Artistry," 2008

Jacques Plante photo
Guy Lafleur photo
James K. Morrow photo
Bobby Hull photo

“I think for kids it's the most important part of the game. You have to be able to skate forward and backward, stop and start, go from side to side. Those are the basics of the game.”

Bobby Hull (1939) Canadian ice hockey player

Quoted in Andrew Podnieks, "One on One with Bobby Hull," http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/spot_oneononep198302.htm Legends of Hockey.net (2001-12-11)
Hull comments on his belief that the most fundamental aspect of ice hockey is skating.

Philip Larkin photo
Jacques Plante photo
Corbin Bleu photo
Arthur Stanley Eddington photo
Ben Croshaw photo
Philip Roth photo
Johnny Weir photo

“I’d love to see a 6-foot-2-tall, skinny man doing a halfpipe on figure skates.”

Johnny Weir (1984) figure skater

"Figure Skating Rivalry Pits Athleticism Against Artistry," 2008

Alexander Ovechkin photo

“He's getting wrapped up before the game and iced down after it. And you see that and you might have an injury, but you are like, 'Well, if Ovie can go out there and skate as hard as he does, I can go out there.”

Alexander Ovechkin (1985) Russian ice hockey player

That rubs off on guys a lot, too.
Sami Lepisto, interview in Harlan Goode (October 5, 2008) "The Capitals' star attraction: Ovechkin charms fans with energy, humbleness", The Washington Times, News World Communications. p. M08.
About

Ed Templeton photo

“My veganism stems from Mike Vallely. He was the person, he and Christian Kline … would take me out to dinner and say, “We’ll buy dinner for you if you don’t order meat.” I remember being totally bummed out about that and thinking, “I can’t get the Kung Pow chicken, this sucks.” Then I read some pamphlets and discovered how it was made. I think it takes a weird person to know that and then keep eating it. As I read that stuff, it hit me and I instantly went vegetarian. Then a year later went vegan. I read more information because I was interested, the floodgates opened and there was no turning back. … A lot of kids come up to me at demos and say, “Oh, you’ve skated so long. Is that because you’re vegan?” I’m always the first person on the course and the last person off. I’ve always had good energy. Maybe it’s from eating healthy. … I was just one person who said, “I’m not putting my dollars into this stuff, I’m only putting my dollars in this vegan stuff.” When millions of others do the same, the markets respond. Now there’s great ice cream and great soy milk. Everything you can dream about is made vegan now. That’s something that has transformed over the years. I did my little part, my little sacrifice made a point.”

Ed Templeton (1972) artist

"Ed Templeton Interview pt. 2" https://web.archive.org/web/20130207234012/http://veganskateblog.com/interview/ed-templeton-interview-pt-2. Vegan Skate Blog (February 1, 2013).

Stephen King photo

“He was waiting to choke you on a marble, to smother you with a dry-cleaning bag, to sizzle you into eternity with a fast and lethal boogie of electricity- Available At Your Nearest Switch plate Or Vacant Light Socket Right Now. There was death in a quarter bag of peanuts, an aspirated piece of steak, the next pack of cigarettes. He was around all the time, he monitored all the checkpoints between the mortal and the eternal. Dirty needles, poison beetles, downed live wires, forest fires. Whirling roller skates that shot nerdy little kids into busy intersections. When you got into the bathtub to take a shower, Oz got right in there too- Shower With A Friend. When you got on an airplane, Oz took your boarding pass. He was in the water you drank, the food you ate. Who's out there? you howled in the dark when you were all frightened and all alone, and it was his answer that came back: Don't be afraid, it's just me. Hi, howaya? You got cancer of the bowel, what a bummer, so solly, Cholly! Septicemia! Leukemia! Atherosclerosis! Coronary thrombosis! Encephalitis! Osteomyelitis! Hey-ho, let's go! Junkie in a doorway with a knife. Phone call in the middle of the night. Blood cooking in battery acid on some exit ramp in North Carolina. Big handfuls of pills, munch em up. That peculiar cast of the fingernails following asphyxiation- in its final grim struggle to survive the brain takes all oxygen that is left, even that in those living cells under the nails. Hi, folks, my name's Oz the Gweat and Tewwible, but you can call me Oz if you want- hell, we're old friends by now. Just stopped by to whop you with a little congestive heart failure or a cranial blood clot or something; can't stay, got to see a woman about a breech birth, then I've got a little smoke-inhalation job to do in Omaha.”

Pet Sematary (1983)

Fran Lebowitz photo
Hugh Laurie photo
Tina Fey photo
Mirai Nagasu photo

“It’s just skating, and I’ll survive, but at the same time, it’s hard because I’ve worked so long for this moment. It’s not the way I wanted it to go, but at the same time I’m telling everybody, you can fall and still get up and keep going.”

Mirai Nagasu (1993) American figure skater

After failure in performing a triple axel skating move during a women's short program in "Olympic Figure Skater Mirai Nagasu Gives A Perfect Interview After Falling During Her Short Program" https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a18559515/olympic-figure-skater-mirai-nagasu-falling-during-triple-axel/ in Elle (February 21, 2018)

Ralph Waldo Emerson photo

“We live amid surfaces, and the true art of life is to skate well on them.”

1840s, Essays: Second Series (1844), Experience

Margaret Cho photo

“You will never make love, laugh, fight, eat, go to the movies, kiss, smile, dance, sing, run, skate, play the piano, buy candy for, argue jokingly, tell stories, look longingly at, jump on the bed with, pet the dogs with your faces, sing along with the song in the car and get the words wrong, share a secret, gossip, cop a feel, go hear a band that you both love, share a really good meal, carpool with people you don't like and make fun of them secretly later, cry, comfort, scratch backs, insist on pizza, catch them staring at you, put your arms around them, stay up too late, lean against warm bodies, feel safe with their feet sliding next to yours in bed, raise your children, go to boring dinner parties and get too drunk to drive home so you sleep in the car, spend alternate holidays with each others families, have uncontrollable lust with, followed by mind blowing fuck sessions lasting for hours and hours at a time, take a bath so hot one of you has to get out, all naked and wet and red and dizzy but not embarrassed because this is who you love and rarely are you shy with them, watch a TV show you both hate because the remote control is broken--merely happily, and maybe sometimes unhappily, share your life, and be with them, but you can't, because they're dead. Suddenly, unjustly, untimely, irretrievably--unconscionably dead.”

Margaret Cho (1968) American stand-up comedian

From Her Books, I Have Chosen To Stay And Fight, DEATH