Toyah Willcox Quotes

My name does help me get in the door, but it doesn't do the work for me.

I'm not going to deny that knowing someone in high places can sometimes get the job done. That's the name of the game. A son or daughter of someone famous will get a break. But once they're in there, they're on their own.

I can pretty much call anyone, whether at the White House, in a company or in the media. I have access, because of the silliness of the entertainment world and how people react to it. It gave me an enormous opportunity to do anything I really want to.

I am sure it does not hurt that Mitt Romney is my dad. I'm sure it's opened a lot of doors for me. But I think I've been pretty effective once I've gotten through the door at doing a pretty good job.

You need fans in high places, I always tell people. I don't care how talented you are.

I've certainly never used my father's name as a way of getting a meeting. And fortunately, I've never needed to.

It's good to keep in mind that prominence is always a mix of hard work, eloquence in your practice, good timing and fortuitous social relations. Everything can't be personalized.

There is no question that knowing someone in the business will get you in the door. But it is your skill that will keep you in the room.

In life it wasn't what you know, but who you know. I had people who were trying to buy teams and had they bought the teams, I would have gotten to coach because they wanted me to coach. But the people who have the teams hire their friends.

I am criticized for getting jobs because of my name, but I only use it when I have to.

People return my phone calls now, which is really interesting. I'll tell you what I've learned that's kind of bittersweet. So many doors have opened up. I've met everybody in the business. I'm fortunate people want to work with me.

In nominating young women and men to our service academies, it must only be about who you are, not who you know.

It's one thing to be talented, but the other thing is connections - with agents, with people; that's what makes a difference, and from the beginning, I've had wonderful representation.

My greatest value derived from the fact that I had access to almost everybody.

I don't think you can get everything based on who you know, but you can't get anything until you do know the right people.

People have this fantasy that it's all just an easy ride if you know someone important. Well, it's not. I've known lots of people in this business - and it hasn't really done anything for me.

You can have a poli-science degree but if you don't know people, it doesn't do you a bit of good when you're talking to someone.

At one point, you start wondering if being talented in Bollywood is enough, or you need connections.

I think the WikiLeaks releases furnish us with an opportunity to observe the upper reaches of the American status hierarchy in all its righteousness and majesty. High-achieving colleagues attempting to get jobs for their high-achieving children. Foundation executives doing fine and noble things. Prizes, of course, and high academic achievement.

So many times you can't get a foot in the door unless you're already in the room.

It's not always what you know, but who you know. Get out and meet people.

You should get as close to the power when you're pitching something. I got my two biggest breaks with the man who owned CBS and the guy that owned Paramount, because I was dealing with the guy who would say yes or no.

I consider myself to be very fortunate in my career, my timing has worked out.

I've spent my career trying to help people without connections understand what's going on so that they have a chance of getting a fair shake from the connected and the powerful.

The self-made man that some people believe is a myth? It could be, because you do it on the backs of other people.