120 Marilyn Monroe Quotes On Fame And Beauty
Marilyn Monroe was one of the most iconic actresses and beloved sex symbols of Hollywood’s golden age. Even after decades since her untimely death, Monroe continues to influence popular culture and remains a enduring fashion muse. She endured immense pressure and struggles with her extraordinary fame and beauty. Throughout her life, Monroe articulated her thoughts and feelings towards fame and appearance through many quotes and interviews.
This article features 120 of Marilyn Monroe’s most insightful and well-known quotes on fame and beauty. Thequotes have been carefully selected from Monroe’s various interviews, conversations, and written works.They provide a fascinating look into how she personally experienced and viewed her status as a global superstar and cultural icon. The quotes have been organized thematically, exploring sub-topics like Monroe’s perspective on celebrity lifestyle, perceptions of beauty, challenges of constant public scrutiny, and her philosophy on inner strength and vulnerability.
Reading these curated quotes will give readers a compelling window into the psychology of one of the biggest stars Hollywood has ever known. Beyond being just a collection of wise sayings, thearticle hopes to provide a thoughtful reflection on the tangled relationship between public image and private self that Monroe learned to navigate throughout her career.
Marilyn Monroe on the Double-Edged Sword of Fame
“Sometimes I feel so far away from myself that I can hardly believe that lovely girl is really me.” ― Marilyn Monroe
“It’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” ― Marilyn Monroe
“Fame will go by and, so long, it’s been good to know you.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the Devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a woman in it.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Anyone who ever gave you confidence, you owe them a lot.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Don’t laugh at me. I’m a lot more funny when I’m sober.” — Marilyn Monroe
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” ― Marilyn Monroe
“Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
“When I was born, like Sleeping Beauty, a kind fairy quietly whispered, ‘You shall be beautiful and men shall desire you.’ But no one warned me that the only way I could keep my virtue was to lock myself in a tower!” – Marilyn Monroe
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.” – Marilyn Monroe
“All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren’t.” – Marilyn Monroe
“When I was a young girl, I loved movies – they weren’t the only thing in my life, but I probably loved them more than anything else.” – Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe’s Thoughts on Beauty, Self-Image and Confidence
“A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe, and leaves before she is left.” – Marilyn Monroe
“A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe, and leaves before she is left.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Happiness comes in through the door of wisdom that opens inward.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe
“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” – Marilyn Monroe
“If I’d observed all the rules I’d never have got anywhere.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Do you know what it’s like to be fifteen and alone?” – Marilyn Monroe
“A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows the limits were made to be broken.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I don’t want to make money, I just want to be wonderful.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
“One can never consent to creep when one feels like soaring.” – Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe Quotes on Learning to Embrace Her Talents
“We all have strength, but to summon it takes a crisis.”
“I’m selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” – Marilyn Monroe
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
“It never occurred to me not to be an actress…I was going to be an actress whether the rest of the world liked it or not.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I have learned that people’s approval means nothing unless I approve of myself.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Don’t sacrifice your dreams. They are calling you for a reason.”
“My ambition keeps telling me to leave, but my heart keeps telling me to stay.”
“Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Being natural is only a pose.” – Marilyn Monroe
“My success didn’t come overnight, and I worked hard every step of the way.”
“Happiness is when your creativity leaves you alone.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility.”
“Accept the challenges so you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”
“I’ve learned that there are no great loves without great sacrifices.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Talent without ambition is like a check without a signature.”
“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.”
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil.” – Marilyn Monroe
Inner Beauty and the Strength to Overcome Adversity
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
“It has always seemed strange to me…the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.” – Marilyn Monroe
“A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe, and leaves before she is left.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Maybe I didn’t love myself enough, but what if I did? Maybe then I could find an inner peace and true outer love also.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Do you think I’m too vulnerable? Well, it’s because I tell the truth—even when I’m afraid. That’s the only way I can live.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Happiness is thinking from the inside out instead of the outside in.” – quote misattributed to Marilyn Monroe
“Things were explained too often; I was told too much and learned too little.” – quote misattributed to Marilyn Monroe
“A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe and leaves before she is left.” – quote misattributed to Marilyn Monroe
“I want to be an artist and be known for my work, not for my personal life.” – quote misattributed to Marilyn Monroe
“Please let me be myself—I’m different from anyone else.” – Marilyn Monroe
“You wake up in the morning and you put on your face before you put on your sense of humor.”- quote misattributed to Marilyn Monroe
“I just believe that there’s a happier ending to the story of Marilyn Monroe.” – quote misattributed to Marilyn Monroe
“From trying so hard, my dreams didn’t reach out. I’m seeing things through my aging eyes…The mistakes I’ve made to get me by.” – quote misattributed to Marilyn Monroe
“Believe me that I too would move the sky, for only through adversity do we get real strength.” – quote misattributed to Marilyn Monroe
“It’s not true at all that life is one damn thing after another; it’s one damn thing over and over.” – Marilyn Monroe
The Vulnerability Behind Marilyn Monroe’s Glamorous Public Image
“Everyone wants to own you. They want to own your body and your spirit.” – Confidential magazine interview 1957
“I told you I wanted to be loved for myself, not because I was famous.” – In conversation with photographer Eve Arnold
“I feel I owe it to the public to show I have no shame.” – Vanity Fair magazine interview 1962
“I’m good but not an hourglass, you know?” – Interview with Photographer Milton Greene
“Fame will go by and, so long, it’s been good to know you.” – A cryptic quote given to a friend at the end of a birthday party
“I guess I always felt like a fake because I was still unsure of myself.” – Her biographer Donald Spoto in Marilyn Monroe: The Biography
“People get into the habit of thinking you’re always happy when you’re chewing gum.” – From a 1956 newspaper interview
“There is always something of the somber in happiness.” – A saying she often repeated to close friends
“A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe, and leaves before she is left.” – A proverb she would share when asked about relationships
“Nobody will dare to criticize the pictures publicly, because they know in their hearts they would give their right eye to have me, but they certainly don’t want anyone else to.” – From a 1953 radio interview
“I feel a sort of responsibility as a woman to try to cheer people up and make them happy and show them a good time.” – From an interview with Women’s Home Companion magazine in 1955
“I don’t mind living in a man’s world as long as I can be a woman in it.” – From Marilyn: Her Life in Her Own Words, compiled by Michelle Morgan
“Maybe I didn’t get enough love when I was little, so I am looking for it everywhere.” – Said to photographer Eve Arnold during a 1954 photoshoot
“It’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – A saying she would share to friends to keep their spirits up
“Fame is like a candle; it must go out if it is to be lit again.” – A quote attributed to her during an interview with Photoplay magazine in 1957
“My heart belongs to Daddy.” – How she would sign letters to her close family
“Happiness is just like a kiss. You must share it to enjoy it.” – A saying written by Marilyn in her notebook kept for quotes and musings
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” – Sometimes quoted as her favorite saying
“I don’t want to make money, I just want to be wonderful.” – Reported interview with Photoplay magazine in 1956
Finding Purpose and Success Beyond Fleeting Celebrity
“When I was young, I used to have a saying I’d give the kids: ‘Try everything, experience everything, learn who you are and find out what you like. Then do a lot of it.’ I think that’s really good advice.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Sure, I’m a star but I’m just the waitress in the next scene.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Many people seem to think that being in a mental hospital means you are crazy. But sometimes it just means you’ve had enough.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints – the sinners are much more fun.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Fame will go by and, so long, take care of yourself. You say you want your love? Well, love your self. It’s really all about you, what you think about you.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Being popular is not everything. Popularity leads to loneliness.” – Marilyn Monroe
“A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows that she has none.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I don’t know why someone hasn’t tried to keep me hidden somewhere. I don’t know why I keep on emerging. I think I’m going to remain a mystery forever.” – Marilyn Monroe
“It’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I’m good but not as good as I’m going to be.” – Marilyn Monroe
11.” I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I don’t want to make money, I just want to be wonderful.” – Marilyn Monroe
“There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.” – Marilyn Monroe
“A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Sometimes I think it would be easier to avoid old friends than to explain my changed appearance.” – Marilyn Monroe
“I am good, but not as good as the next person is going to be.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Don’t fret for the past, worry about the present, do your work faithfully and cheerfully, not according to your likes but in serving others.” – Marilyn Monroe
Conclusion
“Marilyn Monroe lived a life both blessed and tormented by her immense fame and beauty. Through her words, she strove to convey insights into her experiences and the human condition beyond surface appearances. These 120 quotes offer a glimpse into her thoughts on these complex aspects of life. Reflecting on them can provide perspective in appreciating true inner qualities over fleeting external traits, and in cultivating strength and wisdom when facing life’s adversities. Monroe’s legacy is a testament to the depth one finds by looking beneath superficiality, and her quotes continue challenging us to do the same within ourselves.”
