I am doomed to an eternity of compulsive work. No set goal achieved satisfies. Success only breeds a new goal. The golden apple devoured has seeds. It is endless.
Bette DavisRead
I have been uncompromising, peppery, intractable, monomaniacal, tactless, volatile, and oftentimes disagreeable... I suppose I'm larger than life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the speaker's strong and uncompromising personality traits, suggesting that such qualities contribute to a larger-than-life character.
Bette Davis describes her complex personality, highlighting traits that are often seen as flaws—such as being tactless or intractable—yet she embraces these characteristics as part of what makes her extraordinary. This acknowledgment of her flaws illustrates the idea that an impactful life is not one of conformity or ease, but rather one of authenticity and vibrancy, even amidst challenges.
Themes
PersonalityAuthenticityIndividualityFlawsLarger Than Life
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about embracing one's unique traits.
More from Bette Davis
All quotes →Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should all be bigger than life.
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Today everyone is a star - they're all billed as 'starring' or 'also starring'. In my day, we earned that recognition.
Bette DavisRead
Once the love bug wears off, as it inevitably does, you are shocked to discover that you really didn't know the object of your affections at all. We know this to be so, even as we repeat the same mistake over and over and over.
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If everybody likes you, you're pretty dull.
Bette DavisRead
You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation.
Bette DavisRead
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