Hollywood is a strange place if you're in trouble. Everybody thinks it's contagious.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the perception of social stigma surrounding problems in Hollywood, suggesting that people distance themselves from those who are struggling.
Judy Garland's quote highlights the peculiar nature of Hollywood, where the troubles of individuals are often viewed as infectious. It suggests that instead of offering support or understanding, people may choose to avoid those in distress, reinforcing feelings of isolation and misunderstanding in a highly scrutinized environment. The statement underscores the broader human tendency to shy away from discomfort, which can exacerbate the struggles of those in difficult situations.
In practice
In a motivational speech about mental health in the entertainment industry.
My [singing] style really has no style, because I try to sing each number differently. I’ve always believed that if style takes precedent over the words and music, the audience get’s cheated. It’s like when people see a fine play or movie. They imagine themselves in the leading role. I want them to imagine that they’re singing - not just listening to someone else.
I try to bring the audience's own drama - tears and laughter they know about - to them.
I think there's something peculiar about me that I haven't died. It doesn't make sense but I refuse to die.
When you get to know a lot of people, you make a great discovery. You find that no one group has a monopoly on looks, brains, goodness or anything else. It takes all the people - black and white, Catholic, Jewish and Protestant, recent immigrants and Mayflower descendants - to make up America.
The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.
I'm a woman who wants to reach out and take 40 million people in her arms.
If God has spoken, why is the world not convinced.
You are born with a character; it is given, a gift, as the old stories say, from the guardians upon your birth...Each person enters the world called.
Would that death were like this. Would that one would sleep and sleep and sleep forever.
Thus it is that "Some things are increased by being diminished, others are diminished by being increased." What others have taught, I also teach; verily, I will make it the root of my teaching.
There is no country but the heart.
The tragic reality of today is reflected in the true plight of our spiritual existence. We are spineless and cannot stand straight.
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