"I don't exactly know what it means to be ready. A cake when the oven timer goes off? Am I fully baked, or only half-baked?"
About this Quote
Savitch knew something about being told the clock had struck. As one of the most visible women in broadcast news in the 1970s and early 80s, she worked inside an industry that prized composure, polish, and the illusion of effortlessness. "Ready" was never just about skill; it was about whether you fit the picture. The subtext is a refusal of that neat verdict. She isn't asking for reassurance. She's pointing out that the standard itself is absurd: people aren't pastries, and competence isn't a temperature you can check.
The humor does important work. "Fully baked" versus "half-baked" is self-deprecating, but it's also slyly antagonistic toward the gatekeepers who love to label women as too much or not enough: too young, too ambitious, too emotional, not authoritative, not settled. Savitch's question exposes the cruelty of pretending maturity is measurable. It also captures the chronic condition of modern work: you can be performing "ready" while still becoming. The joke stings because it's true.
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Savitch, Jessica. (2026, January 15). I don't exactly know what it means to be ready. A cake when the oven timer goes off? Am I fully baked, or only half-baked? FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-exactly-know-what-it-means-to-be-ready-a-164911/
Chicago Style
Savitch, Jessica. "I don't exactly know what it means to be ready. A cake when the oven timer goes off? Am I fully baked, or only half-baked?" FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-exactly-know-what-it-means-to-be-ready-a-164911/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I don't exactly know what it means to be ready. A cake when the oven timer goes off? Am I fully baked, or only half-baked?" FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-dont-exactly-know-what-it-means-to-be-ready-a-164911/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.











