After some initial success in her career, some Hollywood columnist was reported to have said about the silver screen beauty, Lauren Bacall, that she was a has been. That her career was over. When asked about this, it is reported that she said, “I am not a has-been, I am a will be.” She would, btw, go on to star in several movies and even win an academy award in 1996 at the age of 72. She started her life in the Bronx and fought her way to stardom through modeling and then acting. She was married to the famous Humphrey Bogart, and after he died early in her life, she even had a marriage proposal from Frank Sinatra. After her academy award she said this in an interview:
“I had one great marriage, I have three great children and four grandchildren. I am still alive. I still can function. I still can work … You just learn to cope with whatever you have to cope with. I spent my childhood in New York, riding on subways and buses. And you know what you learn if you’re a New Yorker? The world doesn’t owe you a damn thing.”
I never liked many of her films, did not really like what she had to say in interviews. I always felt that she was one of those out of touch left wing Hollywood types. Not that being liberal is bad, I just felt her political beliefs were based on her conceited view of the world. However, looking back at her life and the struggles she did go through, I cannot help but think of the lesson here.
Consequently, I think that I will adopt this quote by Bacall as a personal mantra. I am a will be.
Guy Reams
