--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always been profoundly ambivalent…" description: "\"I've always been profoundly ambivalent about fame. I think it just eats the reality out of you and it can be intoxicating because I like some of it.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/jane-pauley-10071_ambivalent_i-ve-always-been-profoundly-ambivalent-a_1475294.jpg" --- # I've always been profoundly ambivalent about fame. I think… ![“I've always been profoundly ambivalent about fame. I think it just eats the reality out of you and it can be intoxicating because I like some of it.” quote by Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/jane-pauley-10071_ambivalent_i-ve-always-been-profoundly-ambivalent-a_1475294.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/jane-pauley-10071_ambivalent_i-ve-always-been-profoundly-ambivalent-a_1475294.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/jane-pauley-10071_ambivalent_i-ve-always-been-profoundly-ambivalent-a_1475294.jpg) > “I've always been profoundly ambivalent about fame. I think it just eats the reality out of you and it can be intoxicating because I like some of it.” [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She feels fame both distorts reality and offers allure, creating inner conflict. **In simple terms:** Fame is both intoxicating and distorting. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage fame’s dual effects. Themes fame identity conflict Mood thoughtful conflicted Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - public appearances - media interviews - personal branding Key Concepts celebrity culture self‑perception Questions to Reflect On - How does fame affect your sense of self? - Can you find authenticity amid public attention? A Different Perspective Fame’s impact varies per individual; not all experience distortion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambivalent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalent/) [Ambivalent Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalent-fame-5363979/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Fame Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame-think-639452/) [Profoundly Ambivalent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profoundly-ambivalent-5363980/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Intoxicating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-intoxicating-5363981/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [There is a theory in showbiz circles that mentally you remain the same age as when you first tasted fame, and I think there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mortimer/there-is-a-theory-in-showbiz-circles-that-mentally-you-remain-the/) [Bob Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mortimer/) > [To me, the whole idea of fame and I think it can be a real test of somebody, of who they are. You know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobey-maguire/to-me-the-whole-idea-of-fame-and-i-think-it-can-be-a-real-test-of/) [Tobey Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobey-maguire/) > [We always wish for money, we always wish for fame. We think we have the answers, some things ain't never gonna change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waite/we-always-wish-for-money-we-always-wish-for-fame-we-think-we-have-the/) [John Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waite/) > [I am not obsessed with social media fame, but I do think that it's a great tool by which I can stay in touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atif-aslam/i-am-not-obsessed-with-social-media-fame-but-i-do-think-that-it-s-a/) [Atif Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atif-aslam/) > [Growing up, I realized that fame is not what you think it is. It's a little bizarre. You have to learn how to cope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-posey/growing-up-i-realized-that-fame-is-not-what-you-think-it-is-it-s-a/) [Tyler Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-posey/) > [The thing about fame, is you never think it's going to happen to you. So when it does, it's sort of a shock. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-bloom/the-thing-about-fame-is-you-never-think-it-s-going-to-happen-to-you/) [Orlando Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-bloom/) > [Of present fame think little, and of future less; the praises that we receive after we are buried, like the flowers that are strewed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/of-present-fame-think-little-and-of-future-less-the-praises-that-we/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [When we live in a world where everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame, I think it's nice to have a show like 'All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/when-we-live-in-a-world-where-everyone-wants-their-15-minutes-of-fame/) [Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/) > [Fame is, I think, just a disgusting by-product of what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/fame-is-i-think-just-a-disgusting-by-product-of-what-i-do/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [I kind of enjoyed having people complain that I wasn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame more than I think I'll like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/i-kind-of-enjoyed-having-people-complain-that-i-wasn-t-in-the-rock/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [Fame is something I think happens as a result of trying to do good work. If you're trying to be famous, your work usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-theroux/fame-is-something-i-think-happens-as-a-result-of-trying-to-do-good/) [Justin Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-theroux/) > [I don't think anything could prepare you for whatever fame is. Fame is a very hard word to define cause it means different things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-smith/i-don-t-think-anything-could-prepare-you-for-whatever-fame-is-fame-is/) [Matt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-smith/) > [I'm still very careless about my public persona. Not careless so to speak but I'm not one for fame. I think fame is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asher-roth/i-m-still-very-careless-about-my-public-persona-not-careless-so-to/) [Asher Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asher-roth/) > [Contrary to Warhol's 15 minutes of fame, I think that today in front of insatiable curiosity of the crowd, we would be better off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-buren/contrary-to-warhol-s-15-minutes-of-fame-i-think-that-today-in-front/) [Daniel Buren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-buren/) > [“I find it ironic that someone so ambivalent about living fights so hard to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-grover-swank/i-find-it-ironic-that-someone-so-ambivalent-about-living-fights-so/) [Denise Grover Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-grover-swank/) ## More by Jane Pauley > [My son has been known to throw a book at the television set when he called for me to come play and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/my-son-has-been-known-to-throw-a-book-at-the-television-set-when-he/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [I see myself as life-sized, certainly not a supersized personality, and apparently after 30 years of television, that's what the audience thinks of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/i-see-myself-as-life-sized-certainly-not-a-supersized-personality-and/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [I have a very good sense of tone, and it's possible to talk about very personal things and maintain a level of dignity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/i-have-a-very-good-sense-of-tone-and-it-s-possible-to-talk-about-very/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [I'm sorry, but I can't imagine being an American icon! It would be pretty difficult to look at your face in the mirror and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/i-m-sorry-but-i-can-t-imagine-being-an-american-icon-it-would-be/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [Twins are a high-risk pregnancy, by definition. The quieter I am, the longer I can keep them growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/twins-are-a-high-risk-pregnancy-by-definition-the-quieter-i-am-the/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [My goal is to see that mental illness is treated like cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/my-goal-is-to-see-that-mental-illness-is-treated-like-cancer/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [I probably am more shy than people realize. But I'm shy when I leave a studio and I am just myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/i-probably-am-more-shy-than-people-realize-but-i-m-shy-when-i-leave-a/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [In the beginning when I sat next to Tom Brokaw on the 'Today' show, the stories I was interested in were those having to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/in-the-beginning-when-i-sat-next-to-tom-brokaw-on-the-today-show-the/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [I'm excited about going back to 'Today,' but, at odd moments, I'll grit my teeth in anxiety. I feel like a student before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/i-m-excited-about-going-back-to-today-but-at-odd-moments-i-ll-grit-my/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [Many people come to reinvention when life changes around them, but people come in all different stripes. I'm oriented to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/many-people-come-to-reinvention-when-life-changes-around-them-but/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [There might be false starts and do-overs.You are entitled to experiment before you find your calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/there-might-be-false-starts-and-do-overs-you-are-entitled-to/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder the year I turned 50, it was certainly a shock. But as a journalist, knowing a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/when-i-was-diagnosed-with-bipolar-disorder-the-year-i-turned-50-it/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [I've come to recognize what I call my 'inside interests.' Telling stories. And helping people tell their stories is a sort of interpersonal gardening.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/i-ve-come-to-recognize-what-i-call-my-inside-interests-telling/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [My guess is that people look at me and project their own values - importance of family, ego is healthy but not the biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/my-guess-is-that-people-look-at-me-and-project-their-own-values/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) > [I was an unusually private person - in a way, kind of insufferably so. I think I thought the celebrity thing when it happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pauley/i-was-an-unusually-private-person-in-a-way-kind-of-insufferably-so-i/) [Jane Pauley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) [Explore all 68 Jane Pauley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-pauley/) ## More Ambivalent quotes > [“I find it ironic that someone so ambivalent about living fights so hard to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-grover-swank/i-find-it-ironic-that-someone-so-ambivalent-about-living-fights-so/) [Denise Grover Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-grover-swank/) > [Americans have always had an ambivalent attitude toward intelligence. When they feel threatened, they want a lot of it, and when they don't, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-a-walters/americans-have-always-had-an-ambivalent-attitude-toward-intelligence/) [Vernon A. Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-a-walters/) > [When you 'make good,' you find out who your real friends are. You find out pretty quick. And it's a very ambivalent feeling, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-camp/when-you-make-good-you-find-out-who-your-real-friends-are-you-find/) [Greg Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-camp/) > [There is scarcely room for doubt that something in the psychological relation of a mother-in-law to a son-in-law breeds hostility between them and makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/there-is-scarcely-room-for-doubt-that-something-in-the-psychological/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [The attitude of the American public toward the external projection of American power has been much more ambivalent. The public supported America's engagement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-attitude-of-the-american-public-toward-the-external-projection-of/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [Gollum was so interesting to me because he's morally ambivalent, and I love the notion of a quest that is to lose something. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/gollum-was-so-interesting-to-me-because-he-s-morally-ambivalent-and-i/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [The American public is somewhat ambivalent about what they expect out of thenational forest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-regula/the-american-public-is-somewhat-ambivalent-about-what-they-expect-out/) [Ralph Regula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-regula/) > [What does it mean then to live with one another? It can be unhappy, it can be wretched, it can be ambivalent, it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/what-does-it-mean-then-to-live-with-one-another-it-can-be-unhappy-it/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [“The unconscious operation of the attachment system via internal working models probably plays an important part in the choice of marital partner and relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-holmes/the-unconscious-operation-of-the-attachment-system-via-internal/) [Jeremy Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-holmes/) > [I'd like to see a much more open Monarchy, myself. 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They (groups like the Islamic State) have no ideology beyond violence and chaos and the slaughter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-time-to-stop-being-ambivalent-they-groups-like-the-islamic-state/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We all have ambivalent feelings toward work ... We try to avoid it, and yet we seem to require it for our emotional well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-florman/we-all-have-ambivalent-feelings-toward-work-we-try-to-avoid-it-and/) [Samuel Florman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-florman/) > [I worked with fantastic actors, fantastic directors. People I would never otherwise have met. Was I limited? Yes. Did I use it as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-golino/i-worked-with-fantastic-actors-fantastic-directors-people-i-would/) [Valeria Golino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-golino/) [Browse all 89 Ambivalent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've always been profoundly ambivalent about fame. 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