--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I gave my eardrums to MGM. And it's true…" description: "\"I gave my eardrums to MGM. And it's true: I really did.\" — Esther Williams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/esther-williams-16177_mgm_i-gave-my-eardrums-to-mgm-and-it-s-true_2268046.jpg" --- # I gave my eardrums to MGM. And it's true: I really did. ![“I gave my eardrums to MGM. And it's true: I really did.” quote by Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/esther-williams-16177_mgm_i-gave-my-eardrums-to-mgm-and-it-s-true_2268046.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/esther-williams-16177_mgm_i-gave-my-eardrums-to-mgm-and-it-s-true_2268046.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/esther-williams-16177_mgm_i-gave-my-eardrums-to-mgm-and-it-s-true_2268046.jpg) > “I gave my eardrums to MGM. And it's true: I really did.” [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker humorously claims she gave her hearing to MGM, implying she sacrificed personal well‑being for the film studio. **In simple terms:** She sacrificed her hearing for a movie studio. Key Takeaway Consider personal costs of professional ambition. Themes sacrifice career health Mood reflective somber Type cultural humorous When to use this quote - career decisions - health advocacy - industry negotiations Key Concepts entertainment industry personal wellbeing workplace ethics Questions to Reflect On - What are the hidden costs of fame? - How can artists protect their health? A Different Perspective The quote may downplay serious health impacts for entertainment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [“Are they supposed to cry so much and giggle every second when they're not crying? They never quit finding something so funny that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-connealy/are-they-supposed-to-cry-so-much-and-giggle-every-second-when-they-re/) [Mary Connealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-connealy/) > [Even though I had a lucrative contract with MGM, I had a husband who was drinking and gambling our money away faster than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/even-though-i-had-a-lucrative-contract-with-mgm-i-had-a-husband-who/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [“I really did love you." Leaving out the unsaid word, once. "Me, too." 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I really did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-sampson/i-loved-the-nba-i-really-did/) [Kelvin Sampson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-sampson/) > [So I really did stop and change what I saw I was about, and really try to put that principle into play as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-mattea/so-i-really-did-stop-and-change-what-i-saw-i-was-about-and-really-try/) [Kathy Mattea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-mattea/) > [Well, I got better after this, and my entire family really did appreciate it. Usually, they're resentful of movies that I go off and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/well-i-got-better-after-this-and-my-entire-family-really-did/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) ## More by Esther Williams > [With two little boys in diapers, I had to keep it simple if I were going to have a life at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/with-two-little-boys-in-diapers-i-had-to-keep-it-simple-if-i-were/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [The newspapers loved pinup pictures of pretty young swimmers, and as a national champion, I got more than my share of space in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/the-newspapers-loved-pinup-pictures-of-pretty-young-swimmers-and-as-a/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [I took my daily swim at the Beverly Hills Hotel pool despite the presence of onlookers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/i-took-my-daily-swim-at-the-beverly-hills-hotel-pool-despite-the/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [I ended up buying a restaurant. Already we had invested in a gas station and a metal products plant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/i-ended-up-buying-a-restaurant-already-we-had-invested-in-a-gas/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [Even though I had a lucrative contract with MGM, I had a husband who was drinking and gambling our money away faster than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/even-though-i-had-a-lucrative-contract-with-mgm-i-had-a-husband-who/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [I was all in gold sequins for Million Dollar Mermaid, 50 feet in the air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/i-was-all-in-gold-sequins-for-million-dollar-mermaid-50-feet-in-the/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [The wisdom acquired with the passage of time is a useless gift unless you share it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/the-wisdom-acquired-with-the-passage-of-time-is-a-useless-gift-unless/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [We can't all win Olympic medals. Even I never won one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/we-can-t-all-win-olympic-medals-even-i-never-won-one/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [Life magazine ran a page featuring me and three other girls that was clearly the precursor of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/life-magazine-ran-a-page-featuring-me-and-three-other-girls-that-was/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [The animus is symbolized by male figures appearing in a womans dreams and fantasies, as a husband, son, father, lover, Prince Charming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/the-animus-is-symbolized-by-male-figures-appearing-in-a-womans-dreams/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [Critics established a snobbery toward me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/critics-established-a-snobbery-toward-me/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [By the time I got home at night, my eyes were so chlorinated I saw rings around every light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/by-the-time-i-got-home-at-night-my-eyes-were-so-chlorinated-i-saw/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [Which Esther Williams do you want to hear about?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/which-esther-williams-do-you-want-to-hear-about/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [My training in Science of Mind had begun with my mother. She took me to a different church every Sunday, and she encouraged me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/my-training-in-science-of-mind-had-begun-with-my-mother-she-took-me/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) > [I was 15, and the years of hard swimming had packed muscle on my frame and made me very strong. Not as strong as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-williams/i-was-15-and-the-years-of-hard-swimming-had-packed-muscle-on-my-frame/) [Esther Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) [Explore all 40 Esther Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-williams/) ## More Mgm quotes > [I was invited to join the MGM cartoon department. But if I'd started work in animation I'd have had to take a cut in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-was-invited-to-join-the-mgm-cartoon-department-but-if-i-d-started/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Our world was Northern, black and white, so it was a great thing for my sisters and me to sit down at Christmastime and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracie-bennett/our-world-was-northern-black-and-white-so-it-was-a-great-thing-for-my/) [Tracie Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracie-bennett/) > [We had the same doomsday people when we were building the MGM Grand, same people, same doomsday. You have to ask a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-kerkorian/we-had-the-same-doomsday-people-when-we-were-building-the-mgm-grand/) [Kirk Kerkorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-kerkorian/) > [Among the great glories of the MGM lot were the vast outdoor sets that had been constructed over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-barbera/among-the-great-glories-of-the-mgm-lot-were-the-vast-outdoor-sets/) [Joseph Barbera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-barbera/) > [Fact is, awards shows were never really about recognizing achievement. They were a publicity ploy cooked up in the late 1920s by MGM topper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/fact-is-awards-shows-were-never-really-about-recognizing-achievement/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [I am willing to spend whatever it takes … My moral standard compels me to speak out on this issue because I am the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-adelson/i-am-willing-to-spend-whatever-it-takes-my-moral-standard-compels-me/) [Sheldon Adelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-adelson/) > [You asked me my favorite question: What happened and what did you learn from being under contract to MGM? And the answer is I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hamilton/you-asked-me-my-favorite-question-what-happened-and-what-did-you/) [George Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hamilton/) > [I like to think that I gave Jack Warner Brothers inking and Joe Sinnott gave him MGM inking. If you're not as in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royer/i-like-to-think-that-i-gave-jack-warner-brothers-inking-and-joe/) [Mike Royer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royer/) > [ \[On her work in "Keep Your Powder Dry"\] I didn't want to do it, but they said if I did it they would give… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laraine-day/on-her-work-in-keep-your-powder-dry-i-didn-t-want-to-do-it-but-they/) [Laraine Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laraine-day/) > [When my mother signed at MGM, that was the only kind of contract you could sign. There was no such thing as an independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-luft/when-my-mother-signed-at-mgm-that-was-the-only-kind-of-contract-you/) [Lorna Luft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-luft/) > [Pippin had an opening number called "Magic to Do," and Jules Fisher, the brilliant lighting designer lit it. Tony Walton did all of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/pippin-had-an-opening-number-called-magic-to-do-and-jules-fisher-the/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [I was signed to MGM. I was in Vegas for sixteen weeks at the Sands Hotel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-burke/i-was-signed-to-mgm-i-was-in-vegas-for-sixteen-weeks-at-the-sands/) [Solomon Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-burke/) > [So vast is the shadow cast by the MGM production of 'The Wizard of Oz,' so indelible are its characterizations, so perfect its music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kage-baker/so-vast-is-the-shadow-cast-by-the-mgm-production-of-the-wizard-of-oz/) [Kage Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kage-baker/) > [The big one I missed out on was 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.' MGM wanted me for it, and Warner Bros. wouldn't give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-baker/the-big-one-i-missed-out-on-was-cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof-mgm-wanted-me/) [Carroll Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-baker/) > [Under no circumstances would it be right for me to go with MGM. Irene shares my opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-selznick/under-no-circumstances-would-it-be-right-for-me-to-go-with-mgm-irene/) [David O. Selznick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-selznick/) Browse all 69 Mgm quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I gave my eardrums to MGM. 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