"I vowed that whenever my family needed me, I would give up everything to go to them, no matter what. 'The show must go on' was meaningless to me"
About this Quote
The intent is plainspoken but strategic. “I vowed” has the ring of an oath, not a preference. It frames loyalty as a policy she set for herself, an internal contract meant to outlast managers, tour schedules, and public expectations. “Give up everything” is deliberately absolute, a rhetorical overstatement that signals how often entertainers are pressured to compromise in “small” ways until their lives are no longer theirs. “No matter what” is a pre-emptive rebuttal to the usual justifications: the audience is waiting, the sponsors paid, the orchestra is hired.
Context matters because Smith’s era didn’t offer performers - especially women - much permission to put domestic obligations ahead of work without being labeled difficult or ungrateful. Her stance reads as both intimate and defiant: a declaration that the real performance isn’t stoicism under the spotlight, but choosing, openly, what deserves the spotlight in your life.
Quote Details
| Topic | Family |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Smith, Kate. (2026, February 16). I vowed that whenever my family needed me, I would give up everything to go to them, no matter what. 'The show must go on' was meaningless to me. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-vowed-that-whenever-my-family-needed-me-i-would-114561/
Chicago Style
Smith, Kate. "I vowed that whenever my family needed me, I would give up everything to go to them, no matter what. 'The show must go on' was meaningless to me." FixQuotes. February 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-vowed-that-whenever-my-family-needed-me-i-would-114561/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I vowed that whenever my family needed me, I would give up everything to go to them, no matter what. 'The show must go on' was meaningless to me." FixQuotes, 16 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-vowed-that-whenever-my-family-needed-me-i-would-114561/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.



