--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people ask me, ‘how do you make it…" description: "\"When people ask me, ‘how do you make it in show business,’ or whatever, what I always tell them — and nobody ever takes note of it ‘cuz it’s not the an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/370/steve-martin-593_answers_when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in_1131125.jpg" --- # When people ask me, ‘how do you make it in show business,’… ![“When people ask me, ‘how do you make it in show business,’ or whatever, what I always tell them — and nobody ever takes note of it ‘cuz it’s not the answer they wanted to hear…but I always say, ‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’” quote by Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/370/steve-martin-593_answers_when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in_1131125.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/370/steve-martin-593_answers_when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in_1131125.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/370/steve-martin-593_answers_when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in_1131125.jpg) > “When people ask me, ‘how do you make it in show business,’ or whatever, what I always tell them — and nobody ever takes note of it ‘cuz it’s not the answer they wanted to hear…but I always say, ‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’” [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excellence forces attention when others overlook you. **In simple terms:** Be outstanding, be noticed. Key Takeaway Focus on mastery, not fame. Themes success recognition excellence Mood inspirational confident Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career advancement - creative industries - personal branding Key Concepts Talent visibility persistence Questions to Reflect On - How can you develop skill that compels attention? - What role does humility play in being 'unignorable'? A Different Perspective Talent alone may not guarantee opportunity without networking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Show business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/show-business/) ## Related quotes > [Be undeniably good. When people ask me how do you make it in show business or whatever, what I always tell them & nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-undeniably-good-when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in-show/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [Be so good they can't ignore you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-so-good-they-can-t-ignore-you-2/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [So be good they cant ignore you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/so-be-good-they-cant-ignore-you/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“If there was one thing she’d learned in this business, it was to never tell a client you couldn’t do something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-zahn/if-there-was-one-thing-she-d-learned-in-this-business-it-was-to-never/) [Timothy Zahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-zahn/) > [A friend of mine once asked how to make it in show business and I said "Be so good that they can't ignore you."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/a-friend-of-mine-once-asked-how-to-make-it-in-show-business-and-i/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [Anyone who has been in business can tell war stories about the bumps in the road. But if they've outlasted the competition, ask for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/anyone-who-has-been-in-business-can-tell-war-stories-about-the-bumps/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) > [I hate to say Napster kind of killed our business, but what can I tell ya?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stallone/i-hate-to-say-napster-kind-of-killed-our-business-but-what-can-i-tell/) [Frank Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stallone/) > [Fake friends just want to know your business to tell your business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fake-friends-just-want-to-know-your-business-to-tell-your-business/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't get why its so hard for people to keep secrets, if it's not your business to tell then don't, it's relatively straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-get-why-its-so-hard-for-people-to-keep-secrets-if-it-s-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be so good they can t ignore you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevi/be-so-good-they-can-t-ignore-you/) [Kevi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevi/) > [There's only one thing that will make them stop hating you. And that's being so good at what you do that they can't ignore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/there-s-only-one-thing-that-will-make-them-stop-hating-you-and-that-s/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Let the positivite in to be in a good one and Ignore the negativity in life thrown to you. :)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-aiza/let-the-positivite-in-to-be-in-a-good-one-and-ignore-the-negativity/) Maria Aiza > [“Be so good they can't ignore you." Steve Martin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-sorrels/be-so-good-they-can-t-ignore-you-steve-martin/) Brenda Sorrels > [Be so good they cant ignore you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-so-good-they-cant-ignore-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes it's good to ignore everything rather that to be involved with bullshits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/sometimes-it-s-good-to-ignore-everything-rather-that-to-be-involved/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) ## More by Steve Martin > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“It was easy to be great. Every entertainer has a night when everything is clicking. These nights are accidental and statistical: Like lucky cards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-was-easy-to-be-great-every-entertainer-has-a-night-when-everything/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I like a woman with a head on her shoulders. I hate necks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-like-a-woman-with-a-head-on-her-shoulders-i-hate-necks/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“And after his unparsable response, including a passage where he said he was 'blurring the boundaries between a thing and thought,' she said, 'Thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/and-after-his-unparsable-response-including-a-passage-where-he-said/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I have no fear, no fear at all. I wake up, and I have no fear. I go to bed without fear. Fear, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-have-no-fear-no-fear-at-all-i-wake-up-and-i-have-no-fear-i-go-to/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“Be undeniably good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-undeniably-good/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [When I finally retire, I just want to go away so no one has to listen to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-i-finally-retire-i-just-want-to-go-away-so-no-one-has-to-listen/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [Only then does he realize what he has done to Mirabelle, how wanting a square inch of her and not all of her has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/only-then-does-he-realize-what-he-has-done-to-mirabelle-how-wanting-a/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“Lacey was just as happy alone as with company. When she was alone, she was potential; with others she was realized. Alone, she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/lacey-was-just-as-happy-alone-as-with-company-when-she-was-alone-she/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [At first I had no skills in writing comedy. I didn't know what a joke was, but, as someone once told me, your emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/at-first-i-had-no-skills-in-writing-comedy-i-didn-t-know-what-a-joke/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [You cannot make your opportunities concur with the opportunities of people whose incomes are ten times greater than yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/you-cannot-make-your-opportunities-concur-with-the-opportunities-of/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The lure in art collecting and its financial rewards, not counting for a moment its aesthetic, cultural and intellectual rewards, is like the trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-lure-in-art-collecting-and-its-financial-rewards-not-counting-for/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [My most persistent memory of stand - up is of my mouth being in the present and my mind being in the future: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/my-most-persistent-memory-of-stand-up-is-of-my-mouth-being-in-the/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [What I mean is that none of my talents had a - what's that great word - rubric. A singer, an actor, a dancer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/what-i-mean-is-that-none-of-my-talents-had-a-what-s-that-great-word/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) [Explore all 453 Steve Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When people ask me, ‘how do you make it in show business,’ or whatever, what I always tell them — and nobody ever takes note of it ‘cuz it’s not the answer they wanted to hear…but I always say, ‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steve Martin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in-show-business-or-whatever/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in-show-business-or-whatever/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/370/steve-martin-593_answers_when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in_1131125.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/370/steve-martin-593_answers_when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in_1131125.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/370/steve-martin-593_answers_when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in_1131125.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When people ask me, ‘how do you make it in show business,’ or whatever, what I always tell them — and nobody…” — Steve Martin", "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": "Steve Martin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When people ask me, ‘how do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in-show-business-or-whatever/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-people-ask-me-how-do-you-make-it-in-show-business-or-whatever/#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 } } ] } ```