15 Quotes & Sayings By Philippe Petit

Philippe Petit is a French aerialist and high-wire artist. In 1974 he became the first man to be suspended on a wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. He was born in Spring, Texas on December 8, 1952. In 1963, at age eleven, he moved with his family to New York City Read more

He attended The High School of Music & Art in New York City, and by the time he was fourteen, was hanging out on a rooftop with a group of kids who were doing stunts on top of buildings. He dropped out of high school at age 16 and held jobs as a longshoreman, short-order cook, and dishwasher. In 1970 he began high-wire performances along the East Coast.

His daring stunts have been featured in over eighteen feature films including "The Great White Hype" (1975), "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975), "The Last Days of Disco" (1979), "Three Days of the Condor" (1975), "City on Fire" (1977), "Fatal Attraction" (1987), and a number of television movies.

1
It's impossible, that's for sure. So let's start working. Philippe Petit
2
To fight adversity, to improvise, to solve problems, and to save the coup, I had gathered all my senses into unusual configurations, which made me grow wild and enhanced my perceptions. Philippe Petit
3
Wirewalker, trust your feet! Let them lead you; they know the way. Philippe Petit
4
It cannot be done all at once. To overpower vertigo - the keeper of the abyss- one must tame it, cautiously. Philippe Petit
5
When I was six years old, I fell in love with magic. For Christmas, I got a magic box and a very old book on card manipulation. Somehow, I was more interested in pure manipulation than in all the silly little tricks in the box. Philippe Petit
6
Everybody wanted me to be rich and famous on my art. And I said no to all the commercials and all the seedy offers. Philippe Petit
7
Fame was never something I was seeking in my artistic journey. It's to be used as a tool for an artist to break open doors and keep creating. That's how I enjoyed fame in '74 it was not just for the emptiness of being famous. Philippe Petit
8
I am fascinated by the engineering. The science of constructing and understanding why it stands. And I am drawn by the madness, the beauty, the theatricality, the poetry and soul of the wire. And you cannot be a wire-walker without mingling those two ways of seeing life. Philippe Petit
9
For me, since I have a life wish, not a death wish, for me, I was not gambling my life. I was doing something much more beautiful. I was carrying my life across. Philippe Petit
10
I needed more knowledge in rigging and knotting. I started collecting books on knots and really learning more and more. That's how it started. And also in magic, of course. With a piece of rope, you can do magic. Philippe Petit
11
Every year, I am conscious of the anniversary of my 1974 World Trade Center walk. Philippe Petit
12
If I have to make a self-portrait, I would put poetry and rebellion on the list. To be able to walk on a wire, to be able to juggle six hoops, you need focus, another word for tenacity, which is passion. Philippe Petit
13
I was born in a world of opera, theatre, films, poetry, art, and therefore, out of the wire, I made a stage. That's why they call me a high wire artist. Philippe Petit
14
If you see how carefully I prepare for any kind of walk, legal or illegal, small or big, you will see that, actually, I narrow the unknown to virtually nothing. And that's when I am ready to walk on the wire. Philippe Petit