Creativity Quote by Ethel Merman

A little gratitude, a little flex, and a lot of Broadway survival instinct: Ethel Merman’s line lands because it refuses the expected script of humble celebrity. The first sentence nods to the classic showbiz narrative - the stage “gives” you a life. Then she flips the power dynamic with a performer’s timing: “But then” turns thanks into a transaction, and “I’ve been very good to Broadway” re-centers the star as laborer, engine, and product.

The subtext is all muscle. Merman isn’t claiming luck; she’s claiming leverage. Broadway didn’t just discover her - it used her voice, her stamina, her reliability. And she used it back, delivering the kind of night-after-night command that makes producers money and keeps houses full. In that sense, the line isn’t arrogance so much as an honest accounting in an industry that often romanticizes exploitation as “paying dues.” She’s naming the bargain.

Context matters: Merman came up when Broadway was a factory for American mythology, built on long runs, star vehicles, and punishing schedules. Women in that world were expected to be grateful, pleasant, and replaceable. Her persona wasn’t any of those things. The quote reads like a marquee-size assertion of value from someone who knew her brand: brassy, direct, unkillable.

It also winks at the audience. Broadway loves legends, but it loves them most when they know they’re legends. Merman’s punchline is confidence packaged as comedy - the kind that dares you to disagree while making you laugh too hard to try.