Marilyn Monroe

I'm not a perfectionist. I'm an artist.

I'm not a saint. I'm a human being. I make mistakes.

I just want to be myself. And I want to be happy.

I don't know what the future holds. But I'm not afraid.

I'm not a celebrity. I'm an actress.

He [Arthur Miller] wouldn't have married me if I had been nothing but a dumb blonde.

I'm a failure as a woman. My men expect so much of me, because of the image they've made of me– and that I've made of myself– as a sex symbol.

I don't want to play sex roles any more. I'm tired of being known as the girl with the shape.

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 they've got symbols of!

I am invariably late for appointments–sometimes as much as two hours. I've tried to change my ways but the things that make me late are too strong, and too pleasing.

It stirs up envy, fame does. People…feel fame gives them some kind of privilege to walk up to you and say anything to you–and it won't hurt your feelings–like it's happening to your clothing.

No one ever told me I was pretty when I was a little girl. All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren't.

It's not true that I had nothing on. I had the radio on.

Fame doesn't fulfill you. It warms you a bit, but that warmth is temporary.

It's far better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone — so far.

I think that sexuality is only attractive when it's natural and spontaneous.

I just want to be wonderful.

The working men, I'll go by and they'll whistle. At first they whistle because they think, oh, it's a girl. She's got blond hair and she's not out of shape, and then they say, “Gosh, it's Marilyn Monroe!” And that has it's, you know, those are times it's nice.

If you're going to treat me like a nut, I'll act like a nut.

My marriage didn't make me sad, but it didn't make me happy either. My husband and I hardly spoke to each other. This wasn't because we were angry. We had nothing to say. I was dying of boredom.