--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never accepted the idea that I was all…" description: "\"I never accepted the idea that I was all through. I guess no person who has once been a star can do that, ever.\" — Ethel Waters" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/ethel-waters-9047_accepted_i-never-accepted-the-idea-that-i-was-all_1910746.jpg" --- # I never accepted the idea that I was all through. I guess… ![“I never accepted the idea that I was all through. I guess no person who has once been a star can do that, ever.” quote by Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/ethel-waters-9047_accepted_i-never-accepted-the-idea-that-i-was-all_1910746.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/ethel-waters-9047_accepted_i-never-accepted-the-idea-that-i-was-all_1910746.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/ethel-waters-9047_accepted_i-never-accepted-the-idea-that-i-was-all_1910746.jpg) > “I never accepted the idea that I was all through. I guess no person who has once been a star can do that, ever.” [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledging that past success does not define one's entire identity; one can still grow beyond former glory. **In simple terms:** Past fame doesn't limit future growth. Key Takeaway Embrace change and keep evolving. Themes identity growth resilience Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career transition - personal reinvention - overcoming stagnation Key Concepts self-concept legacy transformation Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor past achievements while pursuing new goals? - What fears arise when letting go of a former identity? A Different Perspective Success can create pressure to stay static. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) ## Related quotes > [I never accepted the idea that I had to be guided by some pattern or blueprint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/little-richard/i-never-accepted-the-idea-that-i-had-to-be-guided-by-some-pattern-or/) [Little Richard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/little-richard/) > [Not all ideas will be accepted, but every idea deserves its own space, and every idea deserves to be expressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-chidambaram/not-all-ideas-will-be-accepted-but-every-idea-deserves-its-own-space/) [P. Chidambaram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-chidambaram/) > [We may take it to be the accepted idea that the Mosaic books were not handed down to us for our instruction in scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/we-may-take-it-to-be-the-accepted-idea-that-the-mosaic-books-were-not/) [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) > [I'm almost like three people. There's me the, Dolly, the person. There's me, the star. And then there's me, the manager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-m-almost-like-three-people-there-s-me-the-dolly-the-person-there-s/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [We always see the point of an iceberg. So I've always accepted the idea that people - they don't necessarily know everything I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/we-always-see-the-point-of-an-iceberg-so-i-ve-always-accepted-the/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [I'm not a wealthy person because I was never a star. I was a working actor and a supporting actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/i-m-not-a-wealthy-person-because-i-was-never-a-star-i-was-a-working/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [The fans make the person a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-efron/the-fans-make-the-person-a-star/) [Zac Efron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-efron/) > [“Every person is a star; it just depends upon how close you are to him, that you realize his true potential and power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupali-rajopadhye-rotti/every-person-is-a-star-it-just-depends-upon-how-close-you-are-to-him/) [Rupali Rajopadhye Rotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupali-rajopadhye-rotti/) > [More than accepted, it's encouraged for rock stars to be out of control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/more-than-accepted-it-s-encouraged-for-rock-stars-to-be-out-of-control/) [Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/) > [There is a potential threat in fame. I don't like the idea of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-dynevor/there-is-a-potential-threat-in-fame-i-don-t-like-the-idea-of-it/) [Phoebe Dynevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-dynevor/) > ['The X Factor' seems to be more about building up personalities and people in tears. And it's not a new idea. The pre-Beatles pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/the-x-factor-seems-to-be-more-about-building-up-personalities-and/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) > [There are plenty of people I've seen and thought that person is funny, or that person is really talented, and they've got something, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyatt-cenac/there-are-plenty-of-people-i-ve-seen-and-thought-that-person-is-funny/) [Wyatt Cenac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyatt-cenac/) > [There is one common thing in superstars - enthusiasm and humility towards their work. Off sets, they are big stars for others, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-bachchan/there-is-one-common-thing-in-superstars-enthusiasm-and-humility/) [Abhishek Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-bachchan/) > [Fame should be left to the film stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mcqueen/fame-should-be-left-to-the-film-stars/) [Alexander McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mcqueen/) > [I just don't think of myself as a star. This is what I do for a living; I'm fortunate that I make ends meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-collins/i-just-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-star-this-is-what-i-do-for-a-living/) [Phil Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-collins/) ## More by Ethel Waters > [Whenever I write for hotel reservations, I always enclose a set of rules I have made for the hotels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/whenever-i-write-for-hotel-reservations-i-always-enclose-a-set-of/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Today I blame only certain agents for my long eclipse as a public entertainer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/today-i-blame-only-certain-agents-for-my-long-eclipse-as-a-public/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I had always loved John Ford's pictures. And I came to love him, too, but I was frightened to death working for him. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-had-always-loved-john-ford-s-pictures-and-i-came-to-love-him-too/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [All my life I've been prejudiced against wealthy people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/all-my-life-i-ve-been-prejudiced-against-wealthy-people/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [The big compliment came from the beer drinkers who didn't know me. They wouldn't drink or move when I sang. If they had their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/the-big-compliment-came-from-the-beer-drinkers-who-didn-t-know-me/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I was born out of wedlock. Nobody brought me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-was-born-out-of-wedlock-nobody-brought-me-up/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I dressed plain, but my partners were always spending more money on clothes than I could afford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-dressed-plain-but-my-partners-were-always-spending-more-money-on/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [After years in white theaters I dreaded working in colored houses. The noise, the stomping, whistling, and cheering that hadn't annoyed me when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/after-years-in-white-theaters-i-dreaded-working-in-colored-houses-the/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Many people know how to criticize, but few know how to praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/many-people-know-how-to-criticize-but-few-know-how-to-praise/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Negroes are human beings with exactly the same faults and virtues as members of the other races.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/negroes-are-human-beings-with-exactly-the-same-faults-and-virtues-as/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [There is a great supply of amateur undertakers in show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/there-is-a-great-supply-of-amateur-undertakers-in-show-business/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [My father came back one day and forced my mother to submit to him. He raped her, holding a knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/my-father-came-back-one-day-and-forced-my-mother-to-submit-to-him-he/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Though I was excited about the Sojourner Truth play, it was not reassuring to think that my entire future might depend on the success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/though-i-was-excited-about-the-sojourner-truth-play-it-was-not/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I found that a couple of bottles of beer would give me a lift, but the third bottle would sober me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-found-that-a-couple-of-bottles-of-beer-would-give-me-a-lift-but-the/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [The white audiences thought I was white, my features being what they are, and at every performance I'd have to take off my gloves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/the-white-audiences-thought-i-was-white-my-features-being-what-they/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) [Explore all 75 Ethel Waters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) ## More Accepted quotes > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. Greatness is being accepted by the people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/greatness-is-not-guarding-yourself-from-people-greatness-is-being/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [The idea that this world is a playground instead of a battleground has now been accepted in practice by the vast majority of Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-idea-that-this-world-is-a-playground-instead-of-a-battleground/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are a lot of movies about misfits that are quite cool, that kind of glamorize it on some level. I think there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/there-are-a-lot-of-movies-about-misfits-that-are-quite-cool-that-kind/) [Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/) > [In Quebec City many Muslims have said that they hide their faith because they know that if they don't, if they show that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-pratte/in-quebec-city-many-muslims-have-said-that-they-hide-their-faith/) Andre Pratte > [The rules and principles of case law have never been treated as final truths but as working hypotheses, continually retested in those great laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-rules-and-principles-of-case-law-have-never-been-treated-as-final/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) > [ We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. \[This is\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theory-has-been-accepted-as-fact/) [Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/) > [And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-if-all-others-accepted-the-lie-which-the-party-imposed-if-all/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Divorce is so common and accepted in America that beating myself up over it may sound ridiculous. But I was raised to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-yearwood/divorce-is-so-common-and-accepted-in-america-that-beating-myself-up/) [Trisha Yearwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-yearwood/) > [Handicaps can be converted into stepping stones on which one may climb toward some worthy goal, unless they are accepted as obstacles, and used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/handicaps-can-be-converted-into-stepping-stones-on-which-one-may/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) Browse all 2,128 Accepted quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never accepted the idea that I was all through. 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