--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Moscow is the city where if Marilyn…" description: "\"Moscow is the city where if Marilyn Monroe should walk down the street with nothing on but shoes, people would stare at her feet first.\" — John Gunther" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/john-gunther-24750_cities_moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monr_2087227.jpg" --- # Moscow is the city where if Marilyn Monroe should walk… ![“Moscow is the city where if Marilyn Monroe should walk down the street with nothing on but shoes, people would stare at her feet first.” quote by John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/john-gunther-24750_cities_moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monr_2087227.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/john-gunther-24750_cities_moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monr_2087227.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/john-gunther-24750_cities_moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monr_2087227.jpg) > “Moscow is the city where if Marilyn Monroe should walk down the street with nothing on but shoes, people would stare at her feet first.” [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even a famous woman would be reduced to her shoes if she were naked; society focuses on the smallest details rather than the whole person. **In simple terms:** People often fixate on trivial details. Key Takeaway Beware of superficial judgments. Themes society perception celebrity Mood critical observational Type social cultural When to use this quote - fashion - media scrutiny - public image - humility Key Concepts sociology culture Questions to Reflect On - Why do we focus on minutiae? - How can we see beyond appearances? A Different Perspective Such analogies can be disrespectful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Moscow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moscow/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [I don't like Moscow. It's not my city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oleg-deripaska/i-don-t-like-moscow-it-s-not-my-city/) [Oleg Deripaska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oleg-deripaska/) > [Moscow is a city that has much suffering ahead of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/moscow-is-a-city-that-has-much-suffering-ahead-of-it/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Give the opponents more than one reason to stare at your feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-messi/give-the-opponents-more-than-one-reason-to-stare-at-your-feet/) [Lionel Messi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-messi/) > [“Dropping my head I stare at the carpet, counting to four, waiting.It takes nine long seconds for her to find the courage to crawl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppet/dropping-my-head-i-stare-at-the-carpet-counting-to-four-waiting-it/) Poppet > [I used to say to myself, 'What the devil have you got to be proud about, Marilyn Monroe?' And I'd answer, 'Everything, everything.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn/i-used-to-say-to-myself-what-the-devil-have-you-got-to-be-proud-about/) [Marilyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn/) > [Now that Marilyn Monroe is kosher, Arthur Miller can eat her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-levant/now-that-marilyn-monroe-is-kosher-arthur-miller-can-eat-her/) [Oscar Levant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-levant/) > [“The world is entirely magical, the only illusion is that it isn't...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-andal/the-world-is-entirely-magical-the-only-illusion-is-that-it-isn-t/) Lydia Andal > [Part of me has always wanted to be like Marilyn Monroe or any Fifties Hollywood starlet. On screen, they seemed so sexy and simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/part-of-me-has-always-wanted-to-be-like-marilyn-monroe-or-any-fifties/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [If you were married to Marilyn Monroe, you'd cheat with some ugly girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/if-you-were-married-to-marilyn-monroe-you-d-cheat-with-some-ugly-girl/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [I used to sit near Marilyn Monroe in the Actor's Studio. She'd get dressed up because that was her identity. Sad. Those cameras wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-roberts/i-used-to-sit-near-marilyn-monroe-in-the-actor-s-studio-she-d-get/) [Doris Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-roberts/) > [“How will you feel when you're being swallowed up?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-schneider/how-will-you-feel-when-you-re-being-swallowed-up/) michel schneider > [The difference between Marilyn Monroe and the early Pamela Anderson is not that great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/the-difference-between-marilyn-monroe-and-the-early-pamela-anderson/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [“I've lived long enough to know that life doesn't always stick to the rules...The perfectly impossible and absolutely ridiculous keep happening all the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-winder/i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-know-that-life-doesn-t-always-stick-to-the/) [Elizabeth Winder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-winder/) > [Marilyn Monroe appeared to be perfect, but she wasn't perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/marilyn-monroe-appeared-to-be-perfect-but-she-wasn-t-perfect/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [As for Aliki - if you were to stand in the middle of Rome and say the name Sophia Loren, or Paris and say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/as-for-aliki-if-you-were-to-stand-in-the-middle-of-rome-and-say-the/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) ## More by John Gunther > [Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/ours-is-the-only-country-deliberately-founded-on-a-good-idea/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [New York city, the incomparable, the brilliant star city of cities, the forty-ninth state, a law unto itself, the Cyclopean Paradox, the inferno with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/new-york-city-the-incomparable-the-brilliant-star-city-of-cities-the/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [God is what's good in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/god-is-what-s-good-in-me/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [ \[Chicago\] is the greatest and most typically American of all cities. New York is bigger and more spectacular and can outmatch it in other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/chicago-is-the-greatest-and-most-typically-american-of-all-cities-new/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [What is life? It departs covertly. 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But by comparison to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/the-last-copy-of-the-chicago-daily-news-i-picked-up-had-three-crime/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [Touch water in the West and you touch everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/touch-water-in-the-west-and-you-touch-everything/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [Live while you live, then die and be done with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/live-while-you-live-then-die-and-be-done-with/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [He was trying to save both his faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/he-was-trying-to-save-both-his-faces/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [France is the most civilized country in the world and doesn’t care who knows it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/france-is-the-most-civilized-country-in-the-world-and-doesn-t-care/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) > [Old and new kiss everywhere in Africa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/old-and-new-kiss-everywhere-in-africa/) [John Gunther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) [Explore all 24 John Gunther quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/) ## More Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. 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I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Moscow is the city where if Marilyn Monroe should walk down the street with nothing on but shoes, people would stare at her feet first.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Gunther" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monroe-should-walk-down-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monroe-should-walk-down-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/john-gunther-24750_cities_moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monr_2087227.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/john-gunther-24750_cities_moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monr_2087227.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55c/john-gunther-24750_cities_moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monr_2087227.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Moscow is the city where if Marilyn Monroe should walk down the street with nothing on but shoes, people…” — John Gunther", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Gunther", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gunther/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Moscow is the city where if...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monroe-should-walk-down-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gunther/moscow-is-the-city-where-if-marilyn-monroe-should-walk-down-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```