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" Of course, the slightest little mistake on the wire will deprive me of my life, so in that sense, yes, it is a dangerous profession. You have to pay attention; if not, you will lose your life. "

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" 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

Life

I Am

Science

" The wire is a safe place for me to be. The street is not. Life is not. It's a rigorous and simple path. It's straight. You don't have meanders like, you know, on the ground, in life. "

" My parents were intelligent and encouraging, but at the same time, they were displeased at me becoming a wandering troubadour and wire walker. "

Philippe Petit

Intelligent

Same

" Every year, I am conscious of the anniversary of my 1974 World Trade Center walk. "

" On one day of the week, I relax - which is not true, I work furiously on other things. 'Relax' is not a word to me. "

" It would be very, very dangerous for a wire walker to experience fear while he is balancing on the wire. Fear has its place on earth, before and maybe after a high-wire walk, but not during for me. "

" 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. "

" Truly, from a very early age, I started distancing myself from other kids, not out of willingness, but just out of the nature of my energy. I liked to do things solely, and I already had a taste of the quest for perfection, which is unusual in a little kid. "

" I did a walk in 1973 illegally in the northern side of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. "

" I started putting a wire up in secret and performing without permission. Notre Dame, the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the World Trade Center. And I developed a certitude, a faith that convinced me that I will get safely to the other side. If not, I will never do that first step. "

" I keep saying I am an auto-didact, but I have a lot of outside influences. One I could cite is juggler Francis Brunn, who was the first man to throw ten rings in the air; he was really an amazing juggler who showed onstage the quest for perfection. "

" I would not describe my personality. And I think when you describe people, you are making a mistake. That's not how they are; that's how you perceive them at that moment. It's limiting in front of something that is magnificent and unlimited: life. "

" I was in art school once a week from six to 16, which was essential in shaping my artistic sensitivity. "

" It's always easy to describe something complex by applying to it an already known label. "

" 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. "

" Right after my Twin Towers walk, I was approached by hundreds of people, and I said no to all the offers. I could have become a millionaire overnight, obviously, but I said no, and I continue to be uninterested. "

" 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. "

" An intellectual challenge presents itself? I am in bliss. Instantly, it brings forth the notion of triumph. "

" As a high wire walker, I do not allow myself to 'leave the wire' during a performance. "

" My journey has always been the balance between chaos and order. "

" I love or hate things straight away. I like to go directly to action to see the result. I think I must be difficult, but at the same time, it's not for me to say. "

Philippe Petit

Action

Think

" I've been arrested many times for illegal high wire walking and illegal street performing. "

" I have a fear of water, believe it or not. To put a wire 12 feet over a swimming pool frightens me. I don't like water. "

" It's very normal - when you're not used to the world of the high wire, it's very normal to be simply terrified. The reason I'm not is because I've done it for so many years. "

" I focus, I invent, I transform, I challenge, I attempt, I observe, I perform. "

" When a loved one disappears, you continue to live with the accompaniment of that person. One has to find a balance between joy and sorrow. "

" On a very long and very high wire, I will not hope to not be blown off by high winds. I will have the certitude that such could not happen. "

" I was not born into the world of the stuntman and the daredevil; I was born into the world of theater and writing and sculpting and classical music. "

" It is treacherous on a high wire to change your focus point and suddenly look down. "

" Death frames the high wire. But I don't see myself as taking risks. I do all of the preparations that a non-death seeker would do. "