Don't Settle for Nothing

“I’d rather be a could-be if I can not be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I’d rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might-have-been has never been, but a has was once an are.” – Milton Berle

Medel “Milton Berle” Berlinger was an Emmy winning comedian and actor and was the first major star of television. Funny thing is that Berle’s mother Sarah had to drag him to New Jersey’s Edison movie studios in 1914 to do extra work, then pushed him into supporting roles, including the part of a newsboy in the first-ever feature-length comedy Tillies Punctured Romance. After little success on radio and films, Berle made a spectacular television debut as a star of NBC’s Texaco Star Theatre in 1948, which was the single most popular comedy/variety series on TV’s earliest years. If it had not been from his mother encouraging him, he may never have made it so big.

YI picked this quote because when I read it, it encourages me to want to be something or do something, not just settle for nothing. Kind of what Berle’s mother did with him. I found this quote years ago and have always liked it because it has such a positive attitude when you read it. I don’t want to be a might-have-been, because like the quote says, a might-have-been has never been, and I want to be able to say I have. Since I graduated high school, I have joined the military, I have gotten married, I have had a beautiful baby boy, and now I have been in college to better myself and my family.Y