Straight from today’s Quotle — here’s who really said it, and the story behind it. Play again

Who really said it

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

Not Marilyn Monroe — an unsourced modern aphorism Marilyn Monroe 1926–1962 · American actress & model (attribution rejected)
Disputed Rights unconfirmed

There is no record of Marilyn Monroe ever saying or writing this. Wikiquote files it under “Misattributed” as a quotation “of unknown origin and date,” and Snopes found no evidence she said it. It reads as an internet-era self-help line retro-fitted onto her name.

Last verified 8 Jul 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

For presentations

Put it on a slide

Disputed — copy with the correction

“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” Misattributed to Marilyn Monroe — actual origin unknown. No source connects this line to her (Wikiquote; Snopes).

The slide-ready mistake: crediting this to Marilyn Monroe. Use the credit shown above instead.

Can you use it?

We couldn’t establish where this was first published, so there’s no rights status to give. Credit it as shown above — just don’t present it as public domain, and get permission for commercial or published reuse.

Image direction — grounded in this quote’s real context; paste into your image tool

In context

Evoking the themes of character and love. Theme: "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". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Minimalist

Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "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". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The trail runs cold

Credited to
Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962)
Claimed work
None — no interview, letter, or book
Wikiquote status
Misattributed — “unknown origin and date”
Real origin
Undocumented; circulates only on quote sites & social media

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.

Widely reproduced on Goodreads, Pinterest and merchandise under Monroe’s name — but with no citation to any speech, interview, or page she ever produced.

Wikiquote: Marilyn Monroe (Misattributed)

How we verified this

  • Wikiquote places the line in its Misattributed section, describing it as attributed to Monroe in self-help books and on social media but “of unknown origin and date.”
  • Snopes investigated the short form (“if you can't handle me at my worst…”) and reported it could not find the original source and found no evidence Monroe said it.
  • Even aggregators flag it: the Goodreads entry carries reader tags such as “misattributed-marilyn-monroe” and “attributed-no-source.”

Because the exact wording cannot be tied to any identified author or first publication, no copyright status can be responsibly asserted. Monroe died in 1962 and this line appears in none of her documented works, so it is neither demonstrably her estate’s nor demonstrably public domain — its origin is simply unknown.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

Fact-check

A meme in Monroe’s mouth

This is one of the most-shared “Marilyn Monroe” quotes on the internet — and one of the least supported. No primary source connects it to her.

Marilyn Monroe Misattributed

Wikiquote lists it under Misattributed, calling it a quotation “of unknown origin and date” that spread through “self-help books and on social media.”

Marilyn Monroe No source found

Snopes could not locate any original source and found no evidence Monroe ever said it.

The honest answer is that nobody knows who wrote it: it is an unsourced modern aphorism attached to Monroe’s name for the glamour, per Wikiquote and Snopes.

Context

Why it sticks to her

The line pairs a confessional list of flaws with a defiant boundary — exactly the blend of vulnerability and glamour the popular image of Monroe evokes. That resonance, not any documentary record, is why it gets pinned to her.

Its real spread is a social-media phenomenon: it circulates on Pinterest boards, mugs, and Goodreads long after Monroe’s 1962 death, with the attribution copied from post to post and never traced to a source.

Widely quoted, universally uncited — a modern aphorism wearing a movie star’s name.

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Character Love

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Marilyn Monroe (Misattributed)en.wikiquote.org

Files the line as misattributed, “of unknown origin and date.”
Did Marilyn Monroe Really Say This?snopes.com

Fact-check finding no evidence Monroe said the “at my worst” line.
Goodreads quote entrygoodreads.com

Popular listing whose reader tags flag it as misattributed and no-source.
One of the Worst Quotes on the Internetmessyeverafter.com

Commentary on how the line spread as a Monroe meme without provenance.

Credited, but not the source

About Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe

1926–1962 · American actress, model & cultural icon

Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson, 1926–1962) was one of Hollywood’s most enduring stars, famed for films such as Some Like It Hot and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Decades after her death she became one of the internet’s most powerful magnets for feel-good, empowerment, and heartbreak quotes — a great many of which, like this one, she never actually said.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Wikiquote / Snopes

“Marilyn Monroe (Misattributed),” Wikiquote, accessed 8 July 2026, https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe; and “Did Marilyn Monroe Really Say This?” Snopes, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/marilyn-monroe-quote/.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘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’?” Last verified 8 Jul 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/im-selfish-impatient-and-a-little-insecure-i-make-mistakes/

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