"When we first began, we didn't have any hits"
About this Quote
The line also smuggles in a collective pronoun that matters. Ross says “we,” not “I,” a small act of historical correction in a business that routinely turns groups into a single face. Read against The Supremes’ early years at Motown, the statement nods to the assembly-line reality of the label: endless takes, songwriter rotations, image coaching, and the quiet grind of being one of many acts auditioning for the same narrow bandwidth of radio attention. It’s not self-pity; it’s a reminder that “overnight” is usually a long shift.
As subtext, the quote doubles as a subtle flex. Only someone with a towering catalog can afford to be casual about the pre-hit era. Ross frames the absence of hits not as a failure but as a necessary precondition for them - a narrative that turns perseverance into proof of professionalism.
Coming from a Black woman who became a global symbol of polish and poise, the candor carries extra weight. It punctures the expectation of effortless excellence and replaces it with something more credible: talent plus repetition plus the patience to outlast the empty scoreboard.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Ross, Diana. (2026, January 15). When we first began, we didn't have any hits. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-we-first-began-we-didnt-have-any-hits-143184/
Chicago Style
Ross, Diana. "When we first began, we didn't have any hits." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-we-first-began-we-didnt-have-any-hits-143184/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"When we first began, we didn't have any hits." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/when-we-first-began-we-didnt-have-any-hits-143184/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.



