Who said “All my life, I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more…”?

Verified

Lily Tomlin. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceThe Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1985)

Find The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe on Amazon · paid link

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“All my life, I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.”
— Lily Tomlin
VerifiedThe Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1985) · evidenceDetail
Report

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1985).

APA

Tomlin, L. (n.d.). All my life, I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/13396-all-my-life-ive-always-wanted-to-be/

MLA

Tomlin, Lily. “All my life, I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/13396-all-my-life-ive-always-wanted-to-be/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Tomlin, Lily. “All my life, I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/13396-all-my-life-ive-always-wanted-to-be/.

Related quotes

“The pathetic almost always consists in the detail of little events.”
— Edward Gibbon
Detail
Report

More quotes by Lily Tomlin

“For fast-acting relief try slowing down.”
Stress
Report
“We are all in this together, by ourselves.”
Unity
Report
“Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.”
Language
Report
All 13 Lily Tomlin quotes →