Funny

“All my life, I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific.”

– Lily Tomlin, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1985)

What does it mean?

"To be somebody" means to be important or successful. The joke takes it literally: she is already a somebody (a person), so she should have chosen exactly who to be.

Key vocabulary

be somebody
be an important or successful person

Who said it?

Lily Tomlin: American actress and comedian (born 1939). Source: The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1985).