I had a teacher, he was 86 years old and his name was Luigi in

Ben Vereen, master of stage and song, once recalled the words of an elder guide: “I had a teacher, he was 86 years old and his name was Luigi in New York City, and he said, ‘Never stop moving. You get to reinvent yourself.’ So you have to find ways to reinventing yourself. Especially today, because it’s a whole different market — social media is so important.” In this memory, Vereen carries forward not only the counsel of a single man but a timeless truth: that life is motion, and the soul that refuses to move calcifies, while the soul that embraces change is renewed.

The heart of Luigi’s counsel is the command to “never stop moving.” Movement is not only of the body, though Luigi taught through dance; it is of the spirit, the mind, the will. To live is to move forward, to keep reshaping one’s path, to refuse stagnation. Just as water, when still, grows stale, but when flowing, remains fresh and clear, so the human being thrives only in motion. Vereen takes this to heart, knowing that the world itself shifts like quicksand, and only those who keep moving will endure.

This idea of reinvention is as old as the ancients. Consider the life of Cato the Elder, who in his youth was a soldier, later a farmer, then a statesman, and finally a writer and teacher of Roman morals. At each stage, he remade himself according to the needs of the time, never clinging to what was but always moving into what must be. Or think of Leonardo da Vinci, who was at once painter, engineer, anatomist, and dreamer of flying machines — he never stopped moving, and his spirit was never bound to a single form. The lesson of Luigi and Vereen is the same: to be alive is to keep becoming.

But there is also a note of urgency in Vereen’s words. He speaks not only of timeless reinvention but of the particular demands of today. “Especially today,” he says, “because it’s a whole different market — social media is so important.” Here, he acknowledges that the modern age, with its shifting platforms and endless noise, forces the individual to adapt more swiftly than ever before. Those who refuse change risk invisibility; those who embrace reinvention can find new ways to share their gifts with the world. Just as the ancients had to adapt to new empires and new gods, so too must we adapt to the empire of the digital age.

The deeper meaning is not merely survival, but creativity. To reinvent yourself is not to abandon who you are, but to find new ways to express it. Just as an actor takes on new roles without ceasing to be himself, so must each of us take on new forms as life demands. Vereen’s teacher at 86 understood this, for he had lived long enough to know that the world will not wait for us. To remain still is to be left behind; to move, to change, to create anew, is to remain forever young in spirit.

The lesson is clear: never stop moving. Whether in youth or in age, whether in triumph or in failure, continue to grow, continue to adapt, continue to remake yourself. If one path closes, forge another. If the world changes, do not resist it blindly, but learn how to walk its new roads. This is not weakness, but strength; not surrender, but wisdom. The oak that refuses to bend in the storm will break, but the willow that moves with the wind endures.

Practically, this means cultivating flexibility in your own life. Learn new skills, even when it seems difficult. Embrace the tools of the present age — even social media, which to some may seem trivial, can be a stage where your gifts are seen. Do not be content with past glories; seek new ways to share your essence. And above all, carry forward Luigi’s ancient counsel: stay in motion, for in motion lies life, and in reinvention lies freedom.

Thus, Ben Vereen passes on the wisdom of his teacher: “Never stop moving. You get to reinvent yourself.” Take these words as a mantle. Wear them in every season of your life. For to move is to live, to adapt is to grow, and to reinvent oneself is to remain forever open to the endless possibilities that life, in its generosity and its storms, will always provide.