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Time & Perspective Quote by Placido Domingo

"Should it happen tomorrow, I would fall to my knees to give thanks to God for such a career"

About this Quote

Domingo’s sentence carries the tonal DNA of a farewell without actually announcing one. “Should it happen tomorrow” is a carefully cushioned phrase: vague enough to avoid melodrama, specific enough to invite the audience to imagine the end - of a career, a public role, even a life. That conditional mood lets him stage gratitude while keeping control of the narrative, a classic move for performers who understand that endings are part of the art.

The kneeling image does heavy lifting. It’s not just religious; it’s theatrical. An opera star knows the power of a bodily gesture that reads instantly from the back row. “Fall to my knees” doubles as private devotion and public mise-en-scene, translating a lifetime of stage language into a single line. Even if you’re not religious, you can feel the posture: surrender, humility, a final bow without the curtain call.

Invoking God also does cultural work. Domingo emerged from a tradition where artistry is framed as vocation, not merely careerism. It codes gratitude as duty and talent as gift, not entitlement. In a late-career context - especially amid modern skepticism toward celebrity and the controversies that have complicated his legacy - the appeal to grace functions as soft armor. It nudges the conversation away from scorekeeping (roles sung, accolades, accusations) and toward a spiritual ledger: whatever the world decides, he positions himself as thankful, not owed.

It’s a line built to travel: dignified, quotable, and just ambiguous enough to let fans hear valediction while he keeps singing.

Quote Details

TopicGratitude
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Domingo, Placido. (2026, January 16). Should it happen tomorrow, I would fall to my knees to give thanks to God for such a career. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/should-it-happen-tomorrow-i-would-fall-to-my-92996/

Chicago Style
Domingo, Placido. "Should it happen tomorrow, I would fall to my knees to give thanks to God for such a career." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/should-it-happen-tomorrow-i-would-fall-to-my-92996/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Should it happen tomorrow, I would fall to my knees to give thanks to God for such a career." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/should-it-happen-tomorrow-i-would-fall-to-my-92996/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

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Should it happen tomorrow I would fall to my knees to give thanks
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About the Author

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Placido Domingo (born January 21, 1941) is a Musician from Spain.

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