Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate…

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Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate… — Judy Garland · Smartyfair

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.

Judy Garland1922–1969 · actress · 1900s USAJudy Garland was an American actress and singer best known for playing Dorothy in the classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. She had a powerful, emotional singing voice and starred in movies and on stage throughout her life.1 quote

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In plain words

Be a brilliant you instead of a second-rate copy of someone else.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 55% sureLots of sources credit Judy Garland with this, and they agree with each other. The book or the speech it first came from hasn't turned up yet.
What turned up: No primary Garland source; earliest citation a 1992 quote-book (posthumous), corroborated by her daughter's repeated attribution; Wikiquote lists it only via the 1992 compilation
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 20 August 2026Listed under 90s section with 1992 secondary citation; also see Minnelli attributions in Quotes-about-Garland section
en.wikiquote.org

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Checked using claude-sonnet-5, 20 August 2026

Fetched directly; confirmed quote is in Sourced section, cited to Business Etiquette for the Nineties (1992) p.8, not in Disputed/Misattributed section.

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