Great Quotes, and a Life Lesson, by 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

I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when their right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together. — Marilyn Monroe

Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring. — Marilyn Monroe

If I’d observed all the rules, I’d never have got anywhere. – Marilyn Monroe

I don’t want to make money. I just want to be wonderful. – Marilyn Monroe

A career is wonderful thing, but you can’t snuggle up to it on a cold night. – Marilyn Monroe

It’s better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone. – Marilyn Monroe

My work is the only ground I’ve ever had to stand on. I seem to have a whole superstructure with no foundation – but I’m working on the foundation. – Marilyn Monroe

A career is born in public — talent in privacy. – Marilyn Monroe

My illusions didn’t have anything to do with being a fine actress. I knew how third rate I was. I could actually feel my lack of talent, as if it were cheap clothes I was wearing inside. But, my God, how I wanted to learn, to change, to improve! – Marilyn Monroe

People had a habit of looking at me as if I were some kind of mirror instead of a person. They didn’t see me, they saw their own lewd thoughts, then they white-masked themselves by calling me the lewd one. – Marilyn Monroe

To a reporter: Please don’t make me a joke. – Marilyn Monroe

That’s the trouble, a sex symbol becomes a thing. But if I’m going to be a symbol of something, I’d rather have it sex than some other things we’ve got symbols of. – Marilyn Monroe

I’ve often stood silent at a party for hours listening to my movie idols turn into dull and little people. – Marilyn Monroe

I restore myself when I’m alone. – Marilyn Monroe

I love old movies and actors and actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood. I’m constantly reading about this person or that one – fascinating! One of my favorites is, understandably, Miss Marilyn Monroe. She has always been unbelievably mysterious and interesting to me. It’s as though she, somehow, got caught up in a world that – in the end – ate her alive. One of the most beautiful and famous women in the world, and yet she wasn’t truly happy. How sad is that? From what I’ve read, I think she wanted desperately to be respected as an actress and longed to break out of the image everyone enjoyed her in and just be herself.

Whenever I read the words she said to a certain reporter, “Please don’t make me a joke,” it breaks my heart.

I’ve never been able to put my finger on the complex nature of Marilyn Monroe, but recently I read a quote about Marilyn Monroe by Shelley Winters, “If she’d been dumber, she’d have been happier.” That’s it, exactly! She was a very, very bright female in a world that wasn’t interested in very bright females.

She just wasn’t supposed to be smart and witty!

Unfortunately, to pay the bills and to have every little girls dream come true… to be in movies… she had to embark upon her greatest performance in her biggest role ever, Marilyn Monroe. In the end, it killed her. I guess if we can learn something from the life of this intelligent and beautiful actress, it would be this: Instead of coming around to what other people want us to be, we should make them come around to accepting us as we are.

I like to think of Marilyn Monroe looking down from Heaven and smiling at the beautiful, intelligent, and strong women in the world today who celebrate and flaunt each of these attributes: Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Sharon Stone, Michelle Obama, Tyra Banks, Faith Hill, Charlize Theron, Cheryl Crowe, Madonna, Beyonce, and so on.

Marilyn would be proud.