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.
Every failure brings with it the seed of an equivalent success.
I didn't fail 1000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.
Success comprises in itself the seeds of its own decline and sport is not spared by this law.
The girls and women of our race must not be afraid to take hold of business endeavor and, by patient industry, close economy, determined effort and close application to business, wring success out of a number of business opportunities that lie at their very doors.
To go to a World Cup is a dream come true, and I can claim to have experienced that four times.
If he wins seven golds and ties what I did, then it would be like I was the first man on the moon and he became the second. If he wins more than seven, then he becomes the first man on Mars. We'd both be unique.
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