Philippe Petit

When I was learning by myself, despite my parents, despite my teachers, despite society, when I was fighting for building my life as a young wire walker at age 16, I didn't have feelings, I had certainties.

My parents wanted me to have an honorable profession and not to be a jester.

I walk on the wire; it's my profession, and there are no two high wire walks alike.

I am the poet of the high wire - I never do stunts; I do theatrical performances.

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

Wire-walking in performance is one thing - I never fell, of course. If I had, I wouldn't be here talking about it.

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.

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.

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

If a leaf fell from a tree, I'd stop juggling and play with the leaf. I went to my prop bag and got a little bandage and stuck the leaf back on the tree. People loved it.

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 am not up there by chance. I am there by choice. And I know the wire. And I know my limits. And I am a madman of details.