Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other.
Interpretation
Fame and success are not the same; one can be famous without being truly successful.
This quote emphasizes the distinction between fame and true success. Fame often comes from public recognition or popularity, while success is more about personal achievements and contributions that lead to meaningful outcomes in life. Erma Bombeck contrasts Madonna, who is widely known for her celebrity status, with Helen Keller, whose enduring legacy is marked by her extraordinary accomplishments and impact on society, illustrating that true success lies in the depth and substance of one's contributions rather than in mere visibility or recognition.
In practice
During a motivational speech about personal values and life goals.
We've got a generation now who were born with semiequality. They don't know how it was before, so they think, this isn't too bad. We're working. We have our attache' cases and our three piece suits. I get very disgusted with the younger generation of women. We had a torch to pass, and they are just sitting there. They don't realize it can be taken away. Things are going to have to get worse before they join in fighting the battle.
You hear a lot of dialogue on the death of the American family. Families aren't dying. They're merging into big conglomerates.
Making coffee has become the great compromise of the decade. It's the only thing "real" men do that doesn't seem to threaten their masculinity. To women, it's on the same domestic entry level as putting the spring back into the toilet-tissue holder or taking a chicken out of the freezer to thaw.
Not everyone is comfortable with the kissing ritual. My husband is one of them. Her refuses to press lips with anyone except his wife, mother, and dog. If someone wanted to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, he would refuse until he had been formally introduced.
There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.
Maybe age is kinder to us than we think. With my bad eyes, I can't see how bad I look, and with my rotten memory, I have a good excuse for getting out of a lot of stuff.
There's no shame in losing money on a stock. Everybody does it. What is shameful is to hold on to a stock, or worse, to buy more of it when the fundamentals are deteriorating.
A lot of people would be happy that they got through a long career and had a chance to play as many times in the finals. To me, I wanted to win for the franchise and for the people. And when you can't do that, it's devastating, particularly for someone like me.
There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.
Opportunities, many times, are so small that we glimpse them not and yet they are often the seeds of great enterprises. Opportunities are also everywhere and so you must always let your hook be hanging. When you least expect it, a great fish will swim by.
With the Supremes I made so much money so fast all I wanted to do was buy clothes and pretty things. Now I'm comfortable with money and it's comfortable with me.
I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.