Lily Tomlin: No Buyers of Integrity
on Sunday, September 1, 2019Lily Tomlin Money Quote saying anyone can look like they are unwilling to sell their integrity if there are no buyers who want some of it. Lily Tomlin said:
“Truth is, I’ve always been selling out. The difference is that in the past, I looked like I had integrity because there were no buyers” — Lily Tomlin
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In this quote, Lily Tomlin is humorously reflecting on her career and approach to commercial success in the entertainment industry. She states that in reality, she has “always been selling out” by being willing to take on roles or projects for financial gain rather than strictly artistic purity.
However, Tomlin notes that in the past when her talents were less in demand, it appeared she had “integrity” because there were simply no lucrative offers for her to consider “selling out” for at the time due to lack of popularity or opportunities.
The quote conveys Tomlin’s self-aware perspective that she has been pragmatically open to monetizing her talents when possible, but that early in her career this was obscured by her relative obscurity meaning fewer chances to “sell out”, even if that was always her inclination.
Overall, she is jokingly owning her willingness to compromise principles for profit or exposure, while acknowledging external factors also played a role in how her priorities were perceived.