--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I'd really like to say about stardom…" description: "\"What I'd really like to say about stardom is that it gave me everything I never wanted.\" — Ava Gardner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/ava-gardner-8168_inspirational_what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardo_903959.jpg" --- # What I'd really like to say about stardom is that it gave… ![“What I'd really like to say about stardom is that it gave me everything I never wanted.” quote by Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/ava-gardner-8168_inspirational_what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardo_903959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/ava-gardner-8168_inspirational_what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardo_903959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/ava-gardner-8168_inspirational_what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardo_903959.jpg) > “What I'd really like to say about stardom is that it gave me everything I never wanted.” [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stardom gave her everything she never wanted. **In simple terms:** Fame brought unwanted gifts. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity over fame. Themes celebrity unwanted gifts authenticity Mood melancholic reflective Type personal cautionary When to use this quote - entertainment industry - media interviews - personal relationships Key Concepts personal cost public scrutiny Questions to Reflect On - What does “everything I never wanted” mean? - How can one stay true amid fame? A Different Perspective Fame can be isolating and burdensome. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Stardom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stardom/) ## Related quotes > [“What I'd really like to say about stardom is it gave me everything i never wanted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardom-is-it-gave-me-everything-i/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [I'm sad to say that stardom is a commodity in our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/i-m-sad-to-say-that-stardom-is-a-commodity-in-our-culture/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [“He gave them everything they wanted because after all, he was nothing more than the illusion they wanted him to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-aicher/he-gave-them-everything-they-wanted-because-after-all-he-was-nothing/) [Lynda Aicher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-aicher/) > [“I gave up something I wanted for something I need. And I need you, Angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-gave-up-something-i-wanted-for-something-i-need-and-i-need-you-angel/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [“God gave me nothing i wanted, he gave me everything i needed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-gave-me-nothing-i-wanted-he-gave-me-everything-i-needed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You wanted me , you got me . You wanted my clothes , I gave them to you . You wanted my life ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-wanted-me-you-got-me-you-wanted-my-clothes-i-gave-them-to-you-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I gave up something I wanted for something I need. And I need you, Angel. More than I think you'll ever know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-gave-up-something-i-wanted-for-something-i-need-and-i-need-you/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Whenever I start feeling too arrogant about myself, I always take a trip to the U.S. The immigration guys kick the star out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrukh-khan/whenever-i-start-feeling-too-arrogant-about-myself-i-always-take-a/) [Shahrukh Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrukh-khan/) > [Fame and stardom sat very easily on Elizabeth Taylor's shoulders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-annis/fame-and-stardom-sat-very-easily-on-elizabeth-taylor-s-shoulders/) [Francesca Annis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-annis/) > [It took several years of hard work in small roles before I attained stardom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-lugosi/it-took-several-years-of-hard-work-in-small-roles-before-i-attained/) [Bela Lugosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-lugosi/) > [As a young girl, I used to dream of giving an interview. You dream of stardom as a kid. People think they don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sania-mirza/as-a-young-girl-i-used-to-dream-of-giving-an-interview-you-dream-of/) [Sania Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sania-mirza/) > [My friends have always told me that rock stardom was wasted on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-etheridge/my-friends-have-always-told-me-that-rock-stardom-was-wasted-on-me/) [Melissa Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-etheridge/) > [In rock stardom there's an absolute economic upside to self-destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/in-rock-stardom-there-s-an-absolute-economic-upside-to-self/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [I don't really look forward to movie stardom or doing a $200-million movie or winning an Academy Award.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-taylor/i-don-t-really-look-forward-to-movie-stardom-or-doing-a-200-million/) [Rachael Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-taylor/) > [It's an incredible rise to stardom. At 17 you're more likely to get a call from Michael Jackson than Sven Goran Eriksson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/it-s-an-incredible-rise-to-stardom-at-17-you-re-more-likely-to-get-a/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) ## More by Ava Gardner > [It's a shame that it didn't work out with Mick. I was hopelessly in love with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/it-s-a-shame-that-it-didn-t-work-out-with-mick-i-was-hopelessly-in/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [“Then, aided by the booze, like a fool I tossed off one of those throwaway lines that would have been better thrown away. "Ah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/then-aided-by-the-booze-like-a-fool-i-tossed-off-one-of-those/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [“Great idea," I said. "Call the police. Call the fucking police.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/great-idea-i-said-call-the-police-call-the-fucking-police/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [I was born with good health and a strong body and spent years abusing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/i-was-born-with-good-health-and-a-strong-body-and-spent-years-abusing/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [Elizabeth Taylor is not beautiful, she is pretty—I was beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/elizabeth-taylor-is-not-beautiful-she-is-pretty-i-was-beautiful/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [I either write the book or sell the jewels. And I'm kinda sentimental about the jewels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/i-either-write-the-book-or-sell-the-jewels-and-i-m-kinda-sentimental/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [Mickey - the smallest husband I ever had and the biggest mistake I ever made - well, that year, it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/mickey-the-smallest-husband-i-ever-had-and-the-biggest-mistake-i-ever/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [God knows I've got so many frailties myself, I ought to be able to understand and forgive them in others. But I don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/god-knows-i-ve-got-so-many-frailties-myself-i-ought-to-be-able-to/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [Our phone bills were astronomical, and when I found the letters Frank wrote me the other day, the total could fill a suitcase. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/our-phone-bills-were-astronomical-and-when-i-found-the-letters-frank/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [Maybe, in the final analysis, they saw me as something I wasn't and I tried to turn them into something they could never be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/maybe-in-the-final-analysis-they-saw-me-as-something-i-wasn-t-and-i/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [After my screen test, the director clapped his hands gleefully and yelled: “She can't talk! She can't act! She's sensational!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/after-my-screen-test-the-director-clapped-his-hands-gleefully-and/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [Don't think for a minute that bad publicity and endless criticism don't leave their claw marks on everyone concerned. Your friends try to cheer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/don-t-think-for-a-minute-that-bad-publicity-and-endless-criticism-don/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [I'm not saying my own looks don't give the game away. Nothing I can do about that anymore. A nip and tuck ain't gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/i-m-not-saying-my-own-looks-don-t-give-the-game-away-nothing-i-can-do/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [I do owe Mickey one thing: he taught me how much I enjoyed sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/i-do-owe-mickey-one-thing-he-taught-me-how-much-i-enjoyed-sex/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [“In one scene, when I was supposed to say, "In a pig's eye you are," what came out was, "In a pig's ass you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/in-one-scene-when-i-was-supposed-to-say-in-a-pig-s-eye-you-are-what/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) [Explore all 83 Ava Gardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) ## More Fame quotes > [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) > [Some people say that 'Drag Race' is about glory and immortalizing yourself in the Hall of Fame. For me, it's about shaking RuPaul down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trixie-mattel/some-people-say-that-drag-race-is-about-glory-and-immortalizing/) [Trixie Mattel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trixie-mattel/) > [The News of the World made me more famous than being in Atomic Kitten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/the-news-of-the-world-made-me-more-famous-than-being-in-atomic-kitten/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/) [Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/) > [There's nothing like getting feedback that's positive and supportive. That's what I'm all about. I'm really just genuinely doing good music. I'm not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-villarreal/there-s-nothing-like-getting-feedback-that-s-positive-and-supportive/) [Tiffany Villarreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-villarreal/) > [Don't crave fame, do what you do and just apply. I don't think many of them here today are that interested in fashion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-wilson/don-t-crave-fame-do-what-you-do-and-just-apply-i-don-t-think-many-of/) [Louise Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-wilson/) > [If I had never gotten famous or rich, I think I'd be equally neurotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/if-i-had-never-gotten-famous-or-rich-i-think-i-d-be-equally-neurotic/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [Unfortunately, celebrity is a powerful thing. It can influence people, but if it can influence people in a good way, then that's a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-furnish/unfortunately-celebrity-is-a-powerful-thing-it-can-influence-people/) [David Furnish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-furnish/) > [I think you either live a real life or you live a weird celebrity pseudolife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/i-think-you-either-live-a-real-life-or-you-live-a-weird-celebrity/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [I am uninterested in Jennifer Aniston's take on anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dillon/i-am-uninterested-in-jennifer-aniston-s-take-on-anything/) [Tim Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dillon/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [I don't want to have anything to do with that: just the fame without personal respect for your privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/i-don-t-want-to-have-anything-to-do-with-that-just-the-fame-without/) [Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/) > [I wanted to have money; I wanted to be special; I wanted people to like me; I wanted to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-wanted-to-have-money-i-wanted-to-be-special-i-wanted-people-to-like/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) [Browse all 6,971 Fame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I'd really like to say about stardom is that it gave me everything I never wanted.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ava Gardner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardom-is-that-it-gave-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fame" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardom-is-that-it-gave-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/ava-gardner-8168_inspirational_what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardo_903959.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/ava-gardner-8168_inspirational_what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardo_903959.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/ava-gardner-8168_inspirational_what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardo_903959.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I'd really like to say about stardom is that it gave me everything I never wanted.” — Ava Gardner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ava Gardner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What I'd really like to say...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardom-is-that-it-gave-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/what-i-d-really-like-to-say-about-stardom-is-that-it-gave-me/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```