"I was a hard worker, and I always knew my lines"
About this Quote
The subtext is about credibility in a system that routinely treats women as decorative, replaceable, or "difficult" the moment they assert standards. Knowing your lines is the baseline expectation, so declaring it suggests the baseline was not evenly applied. She's hinting at a world where men are indulged for temperament while women are evaluated for competence, where being prepared becomes a defensive credential rather than an assumption.
Context matters, too: Cilento's career unfolded during a period when performance was often narrated through scandal, romance, and proximity to male stars. This sentence resists that framing. It's a refusal to be reduced to gossip or aura. She doesn't ask to be remembered as a muse; she asks to be remembered as reliable.
The intent, ultimately, is control: of narrative, of reputation, of legacy. It's an actress asserting authorship over her own story, using the plain language of the workplace to puncture the fog machine.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work Ethic |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Cilento, Diane. (n.d.). I was a hard worker, and I always knew my lines. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-was-a-hard-worker-and-i-always-knew-my-lines-77996/
Chicago Style
Cilento, Diane. "I was a hard worker, and I always knew my lines." FixQuotes. Accessed February 3, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-was-a-hard-worker-and-i-always-knew-my-lines-77996/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I was a hard worker, and I always knew my lines." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-was-a-hard-worker-and-i-always-knew-my-lines-77996/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.




