"Reputation is fine but you have to keep justifying it. In a sense, it makes it harder because people's expectations of you are higher. So, you have to fulfill those expectations. Or, try to exceed those expectations. But, it becomes more difficult as time goes on"
About this Quote
The intent here feels almost corrective, a pushback against the lazy cultural fantasy that recognition equals arrival. Jacobi frames reputation as a credit line that must be refinanced daily. Once an audience, a director, or an industry decides you're "great", they stop meeting you where you are and start measuring you against a curated highlight reel. The subtext is anxiety disguised as professionalism: even when you succeed, you inherit a new kind of vulnerability - the fear of being revealed as merely human on an off night.
What's sharp is how he refuses the romance of artistic legacy. "Keep justifying it" suggests judgment, even suspicion; the artist is perpetually on trial before an invisible jury of critics, peers, and fans. The escalation from "fulfill" to "exceed" captures the brutal arithmetic of fame: meeting expectations reads as maintenance, not achievement. Only the surplus counts, and the surplus gets harder to produce as the bar rises and time narrows options.
Context matters, too. For a veteran actor, "more difficult as time goes on" isn't just about aging craft; it's about aging within an industry that fetishizes novelty. Reputation becomes both shield and trap: it opens doors, then demands you never change once you're inside.
Quote Details
| Topic | Work Ethic |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Jacobi, Derek. (2026, January 17). Reputation is fine but you have to keep justifying it. In a sense, it makes it harder because people's expectations of you are higher. So, you have to fulfill those expectations. Or, try to exceed those expectations. But, it becomes more difficult as time goes on. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/reputation-is-fine-but-you-have-to-keep-57898/
Chicago Style
Jacobi, Derek. "Reputation is fine but you have to keep justifying it. In a sense, it makes it harder because people's expectations of you are higher. So, you have to fulfill those expectations. Or, try to exceed those expectations. But, it becomes more difficult as time goes on." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/reputation-is-fine-but-you-have-to-keep-57898/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Reputation is fine but you have to keep justifying it. In a sense, it makes it harder because people's expectations of you are higher. So, you have to fulfill those expectations. Or, try to exceed those expectations. But, it becomes more difficult as time goes on." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/reputation-is-fine-but-you-have-to-keep-57898/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
