People
I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.
— Lily Tomlin · The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
A joke about ambition that never named a target. Wanting to be "somebody" sounds grand, but it's so vague that any outcome could count, and none may satisfy. The punchline is the wish for a do-over: a little precision at the start might have helped.
Context reviewed