---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I learned a long time ago in Hollywood…"
description: "\"I learned a long time ago in Hollywood that the only person I should vote for is myself.\" — Jack Nicholson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/jack-nicholson-1283_hollywood_i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-t_845982.jpg"
---

#  I learned a long time ago in Hollywood that the only…

![“I learned a long time ago in Hollywood that the only person I should vote for is myself.” quote by Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/jack-nicholson-1283_hollywood_i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-t_845982.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/jack-nicholson-1283_hollywood_i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-t_845982.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/jack-nicholson-1283_hollywood_i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-t_845982.jpg)

> “I learned a long time ago in Hollywood that the only person I should vote for is myself.”

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

In Hollywood, the only reliable political choice is to vote for oneself, emphasizing self‑reliance over external candidates.

**In simple terms:** Vote for yourself, not others.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize self‑trust in decisions.

Themes

self‑reliance political skepticism individualism

Mood

cynical reflective

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- financial investments
- personal branding
- life planning

Key Concepts

political theory psychology personal agency

Questions to Reflect On

- What does voting for yourself look like?
- How balance personal goals with societal responsibilities?

A Different Perspective

Self‑interest can conflict with collective good.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ago Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ago-hollywood-694729/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Hollywood Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood-person-694728/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Long time ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time-ago/) [Person Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-vote-694727/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm not really a Hollywood person. Not that I don't like L.A., but I'm just a Northern California guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-m-not-really-a-hollywood-person-not-that-i-don-t-like-l-a-but-i-m/)

[Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/)

> [I don't consider myself a starlet or a Hollywood person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-don-t-consider-myself-a-starlet-or-a-hollywood-person/)

[Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/)

> [“Democracy is about one person, one vote. It’s about all of us coming together to determine the future of our country. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/democracy-is-about-one-person-one-vote-it-s-about-all-of-us-coming/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [The protesters have called into question whether there is a real democracy. Real democracy is more than the right to vote once every two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/the-protesters-have-called-into-question-whether-there-is-a-real/)

[Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/)

> [The democratic process is supposed to be one person one vote, but it turns out that money is talking louder than the votes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-democratic-process-is-supposed-to-be-one-person-one-vote-but-it/)

[James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/)

> [The principle, that should be a fundamental principle in our democracy, the principle of "one person, one vote," says that the vote of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/the-principle-that-should-be-a-fundamental-principle-in-our-democracy/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [“Although few people will remember 3 June 1993, it was a landmark in South African history. On that day, after months of negotiations at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/although-few-people-will-remember-3-june-1993-it-was-a-landmark-in/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [There is no evidence at all that a voting booth was hacked or one person's vote in America was taken from Trump candidate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-gorka/there-is-no-evidence-at-all-that-a-voting-booth-was-hacked-or-one/)

[Sebastian Gorka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-gorka/)

> [In a democracy, a person's vote is their voice. For much of our history, however, not everyone's voice was welcome at the voting booth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/in-a-democracy-a-person-s-vote-is-their-voice-for-much-of-our-history/)

[Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/)

> [One person, one vote sounds so reasonable and - dare I say it - democratic. But the voting process in America is anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-belzer/one-person-one-vote-sounds-so-reasonable-and-dare-i-say-it-democratic/)

[Richard Belzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-belzer/)

> [I think the archaic idea is actually winner take all, because the principle of "one person, one vote" is a principle that was introduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/i-think-the-archaic-idea-is-actually-winner-take-all-because-the/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [“But sometimes they're just oblivious, and their obliviousness brings out the worst in me. I remember once talking to one about the principle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/but-sometimes-they-re-just-oblivious-and-their-obliviousness-brings/)

[Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/)

> [One person, one vote' is what democracy is supposed to be about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-o-meara-sanders/one-person-one-vote-is-what-democracy-is-supposed-to-be-about/)

[Jane O'Meara Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-o-meara-sanders/)

> [Our nation is not a fully representative democracy if we do not have a one-person, one-vote method of directly electing our president. It disproportionately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/our-nation-is-not-a-fully-representative-democracy-if-we-do-not-have/)

[Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/)

> [When you turn 18 in the United States, you should be automatically registered to vote. Ideally, this sensible reform would be a federal law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/when-you-turn-18-in-the-united-states-you-should-be-automatically/)

[Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/)

## More by Jack Nicholson

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [Women are sort of like motorcycle gangs with me. They get really shy and polite. I don't know why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/women-are-sort-of-like-motorcycle-gangs-with-me-they-get-really-shy/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [I love writing, but I stopped because I felt I was more effective approaching filmmaking from a different vantage point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-love-writing-but-i-stopped-because-i-felt-i-was-more-effective/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [I've been too many places. I'm like the bad penny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-ve-been-too-many-places-i-m-like-the-bad-penny/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [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/)

> [I don't play golf competitively. I tell everybody that I cheat so they won't gamble with me. That's why you can't watch football. Everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-don-t-play-golf-competitively-i-tell-everybody-that-i-cheat-so-they/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [I'm such a perfectionist. I always feel overpraised or whatever. In the abstract, I know I'm a good person, a good professional. But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-m-such-a-perfectionist-i-always-feel-overpraised-or-whatever-in-the/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [Men dominate because of physicality, and thus they have mercy where women do not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/men-dominate-because-of-physicality-and-thus-they-have-mercy-where/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [I think it's good if a man gives a woman some time to herself because I think we all need that and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-think-it-s-good-if-a-man-gives-a-woman-some-time-to-herself-because/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [The most difficult thing about being well known? Getting out of a hotel room at 4am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/the-most-difficult-thing-about-being-well-known-getting-out-of-a/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [ He \[Castro\] is a genius. We spoke about everything. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/he-castro-is-a-genius-we-spoke-about-everything/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [I've always had an urge to feed my need to have fun and feel free. I don't see any interesting alternatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-ve-always-had-an-urge-to-feed-my-need-to-have-fun-and-feel-free-i/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [Take caution in your tone, commander. I'm a fair man, but this -- heat is making me absolutely crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/take-caution-in-your-tone-commander-i-m-a-fair-man-but-this-heat-is/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [The stage has a certain discipline. But the ultimate standard is more exacting in film, because you have to see yourself and you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/the-stage-has-a-certain-discipline-but-the-ultimate-standard-is-more/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [Comedy is much harder, it's a lot more exacting. You can't just be real and you can't just use the same kind of techniques…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/comedy-is-much-harder-it-s-a-lot-more-exacting-you-can-t-just-be-real/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

[Explore all 261 Jack Nicholson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

## More Hollywood quotes

> [Hollywood is very much an industry town. Your life becomes caught up in all of the parties and this list and that list. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-johnson/hollywood-is-very-much-an-industry-town-your-life-becomes-caught-up/)

[Don Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-johnson/)

> [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/)

[David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/)

> [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/)

[Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/)

> [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“Artist Matthew Barney has made a film about “shit”. It is hardly original. Hollywood has made shit films for decades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/artist-matthew-barney-has-made-a-film-about-shit-it-is-hardly/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

> [In a lot of movies, African-Americans are either maids or slaves, but that's not all they were. We need to show that. And we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/in-a-lot-of-movies-african-americans-are-either-maids-or-slaves-but/)

[Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/)

> [“I'm always looking for evidence to support my conjecture that celebrity in Hollywood is sort of like a Joel Peter Witkin photograph: It looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cintra-wilson/i-m-always-looking-for-evidence-to-support-my-conjecture-that/)

[Cintra Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cintra-wilson/)

> [I came to Hollywood to be a movie song-and-dance man just at the time those films were going out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-berry/i-came-to-hollywood-to-be-a-movie-song-and-dance-man-just-at-the-time/)

[Ken Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-berry/)

> [Writing is the life blood of everything in Hollywood. Without writers, there are no scripts, no acting work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/writing-is-the-life-blood-of-everything-in-hollywood-without-writers/)

[Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/)

> [Popular culture as a whole is popular, but in today's fragmented market it's a jostle of competing unpopular popular cultures. As the critic Stanley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/popular-culture-as-a-whole-is-popular-but-in-today-s-fragmented/)

[Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/)

> [Hollywood regency never goes out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-spencer/hollywood-regency-never-goes-out-of-style/)

[Lara Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-spencer/)

> [Washington is a Hollywood for ugly people. Hollywood is a Washington for the simpleminded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/washington-is-a-hollywood-for-ugly-people-hollywood-is-a-washington/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

> [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/)

[Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/)

[Browse all 4,991 Hollywood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I learned a long time ago in Hollywood that the only person I should vote for is myself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jack Nicholson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-that-the-only-person-i-should/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hollywood"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-that-the-only-person-i-should/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/jack-nicholson-1283_hollywood_i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-t_845982.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/jack-nicholson-1283_hollywood_i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-t_845982.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/jack-nicholson-1283_hollywood_i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-t_845982.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I learned a long time ago in Hollywood that the only person I should vote for is myself.” — Jack Nicholson",
                "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": "Jack Nicholson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I learned a long time ago...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-that-the-only-person-i-should/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-learned-a-long-time-ago-in-hollywood-that-the-only-person-i-should/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
