---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want to be an artist, not... a…"
description: "\"I want to be an artist, not... a celluloid aphrodisiac.\" — Marilyn Monroe"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/marilyn-monroe-416_aphrodisiac_i-want-to-be-an-artist-not-a-celluloid-a_2491124.jpg"
---

#  I want to be an artist, not... a celluloid aphrodisiac.

![“I want to be an artist, not... a celluloid aphrodisiac.” quote by Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/marilyn-monroe-416_aphrodisiac_i-want-to-be-an-artist-not-a-celluloid-a_2491124.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/marilyn-monroe-416_aphrodisiac_i-want-to-be-an-artist-not-a-celluloid-a_2491124.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/marilyn-monroe-416_aphrodisiac_i-want-to-be-an-artist-not-a-celluloid-a_2491124.jpg)

> “I want to be an artist, not... a celluloid aphrodisiac.”

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Desires artistic expression rather than being objectified as a visual commodity.

**In simple terms:** Wants to create art, not be a sexualized image.

Key Takeaway

Pursue authentic creative identity.

Themes

identity artistry objectification

Mood

determined reflective

Type

artistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- film industry
- visual arts
- personal branding
- media studies

Key Concepts

feminist critique self‑definition

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you protect artistic integrity?
- What steps help shift perception from object to creator?

A Different Perspective

Societal pressures may conflict with artistic goals.

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[Aphrodisiac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aphrodisiac/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Celluloid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-celluloid-965239/) [Celluloid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celluloid/) [Celluloid Aphrodisiac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celluloid-aphrodisiac-965240/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-artist/)

## Related quotes

> [I want to be an artist, not an erotic freak. I don’t want to be sold to the public as a celluloid aphrodisiac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/i-want-to-be-an-artist-not-an-erotic-freak-i-don-t-want-to-be-sold-to/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [I want to be an artist, an actress with integrity, and that includes all kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/i-want-to-be-an-artist-an-actress-with-integrity-and-that-includes/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [When you are writing for an artist you are trying to get into that artist's point of view. What does that artist want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-wildhorn/when-you-are-writing-for-an-artist-you-are-trying-to-get-into-that/)

[Frank Wildhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-wildhorn/)

> [I give you everything you want as an artist, for so long. Consistency. Wordplay. Wittiness. You can check the checklist. Only thing I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jadakiss/i-give-you-everything-you-want-as-an-artist-for-so-long-consistency/)

[Jadakiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jadakiss/)

> [I prefer theater, but I love to do films, and I prefer theater primarily because I've done more. I know less about movies. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-plummer/i-prefer-theater-but-i-love-to-do-films-and-i-prefer-theater/)

[Amanda Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-plummer/)

> [I was born with this bow tie made of celluloid on my collar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-was-born-with-this-bow-tie-made-of-celluloid-on-my-collar/)

[Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/)

> ['Celluloid' is set in the 1930s. During the decade, the folk-classical genre seems to have been in vogue. It didn't take much effort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-jayachandran/celluloid-is-set-in-the-1930s-during-the-decade-the-folk-classical/)

[M. Jayachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-jayachandran/)

> [I'd always loved movies, but it wasn't some sort of desperate love of celluloid. It was literally like, "I want to write things, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-d-always-loved-movies-but-it-wasn-t-some-sort-of-desperate-love-of/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [I like celluloid, I like film, I like the way that when a movie is projected it sort of breathes a little in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-oldman/i-like-celluloid-i-like-film-i-like-the-way-that-when-a-movie-is/)

[Gary Oldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-oldman/)

> [Ecstasy is not really part of the scene we can do on celluloid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-welles/ecstasy-is-not-really-part-of-the-scene-we-can-do-on-celluloid/)

[Orson Welles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-welles/)

> [Narrative, fiction filmmaking is the culmination of several art forms: theater, art history, architecture. Whereas doc filmmaking is more pure cinema, like cinema verité…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/narrative-fiction-filmmaking-is-the-culmination-of-several-art-forms/)

[George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/)

> [The movies are celluloid hemorrhoids. No, worse: They're celluloid Bon Jovi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-smith/the-movies-are-celluloid-hemorrhoids-no-worse-they-re-celluloid-bon/)

[Kyle Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-smith/)

> [When we die, as when the scenes have been fixed on to celluloid and the scenery is pulled down and burnt — we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/when-we-die-as-when-the-scenes-have-been-fixed-on-to-celluloid-and/)

[Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/)

> [You have to remain strong. That's the kind of filmmaker I want to encourage. Orson Welles was the one who said, you know, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/you-have-to-remain-strong-that-s-the-kind-of-filmmaker-i-want-to/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [The most expensive habit in the world is celluloid, not heroin, and I need a fix every few years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/the-most-expensive-habit-in-the-world-is-celluloid-not-heroin-and-i/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

## More by Marilyn Monroe

> [Everyone's just laughing at me. I hate it. Big breasts, big ass, big deal, Can't I be anything else ? Gee, how long can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/everyone-s-just-laughing-at-me-i-hate-it-big-breasts-big-ass-big-deal/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [Nothing happens without a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/nothing-happens-without-a-reason/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [Sometimes I've been to a party where no one spoke to me for a whole evening. The men, frightened by their wives or sweeites...the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/sometimes-i-ve-been-to-a-party-where-no-one-spoke-to-me-for-a-whole/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [You believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/you-believe-lies-so-you-eventually-learn-to-trust-no-one-but-yourself/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [The worst thing that happens to people when they dress up and go to a party is that they leave their real selves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/the-worst-thing-that-happens-to-people-when-they-dress-up-and-go-to-a/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [Confidentially, the type of male I find most enjoyable for a friend is one who has enough fire and assurance to speak up for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/confidentially-the-type-of-male-i-find-most-enjoyable-for-a-friend-is/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [I usually eat four or five raw carrots with my meat, and that is all. I must be part rabbit; I never get bored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/i-usually-eat-four-or-five-raw-carrots-with-my-meat-and-that-is-all-i/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupied so are regrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/we-should-all-start-to-live-before-we-get-too-old-fear-is-stupied-so/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [You're the beautiful one. It's society that's ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/you-re-the-beautiful-one-it-s-society-that-s-ugly/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [I've never fooled anyone. I've let people fool themselves. They didn't bother to find out who and what I was. Instead they would invent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/i-ve-never-fooled-anyone-i-ve-let-people-fool-themselves-they-didn-t/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [If I'd observed all the rules, I'd never have got anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/if-i-d-observed-all-the-rules-i-d-never-have-got-anywhere/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [A woman can't be alone. She needs a man. A man and a woman support and strengthen each other. She just can't do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/a-woman-can-t-be-alone-she-needs-a-man-a-man-and-a-woman-support-and/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [It's better being completely ridiculous than unbelievably boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/it-s-better-being-completely-ridiculous-than-unbelievably-boring/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [A career is wonderful thing, but you can't snuggle up to it on a cold night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/a-career-is-wonderful-thing-but-you-can-t-snuggle-up-to-it-on-a-cold/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [Suicide, is a persons privilege. I don't believe it's a sin or a crime it's your right if you do. Though it doesn't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/suicide-is-a-persons-privilege-i-don-t-believe-it-s-a-sin-or-a-crime/)

[Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

[Explore all 572 Marilyn Monroe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

## More Aphrodisiac quotes

> [“The moral high ground proved to be one hell of an aphrodisiac...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-a-floriste/the-moral-high-ground-proved-to-be-one-hell-of-an-aphrodisiac/)

[Eve A. Floriste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-a-floriste/)

> [Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/power-is-the-ultimate-aphrodisiac/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The future is religion and commerce, aphrodisiac and Benzedrine, a mother of mysterious comfort and a mistress of familiar ravishments ever on the verge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-kennedy/the-future-is-religion-and-commerce-aphrodisiac-and-benzedrine-a/)

[Eugene Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-kennedy/)

> [People tend to link "sex and drugs" because both are condemned by society. Nevertheless, throughout the ages human beings have continually searched for more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/people-tend-to-link-sex-and-drugs-because-both-are-condemned-by/)

[Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/)

> [The aim of human life is to know thyself. Think for yourself. Question authority. Think with your friends. Create, create new realities. Philosophy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/the-aim-of-human-life-is-to-know-thyself-think-for-yourself-question/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [Power is a great aphrodisiac and I am a very powerful person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/power-is-a-great-aphrodisiac-and-i-am-a-very-powerful-person/)

[Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/)

> [The coolest thing is when you don’t care about being cool anymore. Indifference is the greatest aphrodisiac - that’s what really sums up style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/the-coolest-thing-is-when-you-don-t-care-about-being-cool-anymore/)

[Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/)

> [(on asparagus) Europeans of the Renaissance swore by it as an aphrodisiac, and the church banned it from nunneries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/on-asparagus-europeans-of-the-renaissance-swore-by-it-as-an/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Fame is a powerful aphrodisiac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/fame-is-a-powerful-aphrodisiac/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [Intelligence is the ultimate aphrodisiac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/intelligence-is-the-ultimate-aphrodisiac/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [One of my books is a hallucinogen, an aphrodisiac, a mood elevator, an intellectual garage door opener, and a metaphysical trash compactor. They'll do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/one-of-my-books-is-a-hallucinogen-an-aphrodisiac-a-mood-elevator-an/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [“The fear of death was a powerful aphrodisiac.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/the-fear-of-death-was-a-powerful-aphrodisiac/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [ It \[smoking\] was like an aphrodisiac. Actors would say let's have another cigarette on that great scenes, and they'd blow smoke in each other's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/it-smoking-was-like-an-aphrodisiac-actors-would-say-let-s-have/)

[Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/)

> [For a women the best aphrodisiac is words. Their G-spot is in the ears. Those who look for it below there are wasting their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-clark/for-a-women-the-best-aphrodisiac-is-words-their-g-spot-is-in-the-ears/)

[Denise Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-clark/)

> [All a writer has to do to get a woman is to say he's a writer. It's an aphrodisiac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/all-a-writer-has-to-do-to-get-a-woman-is-to-say-he-s-a-writer-it-s-an/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

[Browse all 89 Aphrodisiac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aphrodisiac/)

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