For an actress to be a success, she must have the face of Venus, the brains of a Minerva, the grace of Terpsichore, the memory of a Macaulay, the figure of Juno, and the hide of a rhinoceros.

The line wryly catalogs the contradictory demands placed on women performers: idealized beauty (Venus, Juno), intelligence and strategic judgment (Minerva), physical artistry (Terpsichore), and prodigious professional competence (a “Macaulay” memory, invoking the famously learned historian). The punchline—“the hide of a rhinoceros”—underscores that beyond talent and appearance, an actress must cultivate emotional armor against scrutiny, gossip, rejection, and moral policing. By piling up classical and cultural exemplars, the quote satirizes a standard of “success” that is not merely high but nearly impossible, exposing how public acclaim often requires both excellence and resilience to dehumanizing criticism.