--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I reserve the right to be a mess and…" description: "\"I reserve the right to be a mess and completely unlikable.\" — Viola Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/viola-davis-1174_mess_i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-com_528152.png" --- # I reserve the right to be a mess and completely unlikable. ![“I reserve the right to be a mess and completely unlikable.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/viola-davis-1174_mess_i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-com_528152.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/viola-davis-1174_mess_i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-com_528152.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/viola-davis-1174_mess_i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-com_528152.png) > “I reserve the right to be a mess and completely unlikable.” [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Embracing messiness and unlikability is a claim to authentic self‑expression. **In simple terms:** Be okay being imperfect and disliked. Key Takeaway Own your true self. Themes self‑acceptance authenticity confidence Mood empowering introspective Type motivational personal. When to use this quote - career setbacks - social criticism - creative risk - personal relationships Key Concepts psychology social dynamics personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What parts of yourself do you hide? - How can vulnerability become strength? A Different Perspective Fear of rejection may still limit openness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Completely Unlikable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/completely-unlikable-4442629/) [Mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess/) [Mess Completely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess-completely-4442630/) [Reserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reserve/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Right Mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-mess-4442631/) [Unlikable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlikable-282577/) ## Related quotes > [I'm just attracted to playing people who are ostensible unlikable. That's not to say that there's something in there that makes you care. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-just-attracted-to-playing-people-who-are-ostensible-unlikable/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [There are establishment Republicans who think Ted Cruz is not a likable guy. I don't understand that. I've had occasion to meet him twice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-are-establishment-republicans-who-think-ted-cruz-is-not-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I've had male executives say that my lead character was unlikable because she slept with a lot of guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-taymor/i-ve-had-male-executives-say-that-my-lead-character-was-unlikable/) [Julie Taymor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-taymor/) > [When a woman creates an unlikable character, a lot of people think it's a mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/when-a-woman-creates-an-unlikable-character-a-lot-of-people-think-it/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I'll be able to pull off playing an unlikable character because inherently, I think I'm likable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stamos/i-ll-be-able-to-pull-off-playing-an-unlikable-character-because/) [John Stamos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stamos/) > [I don't approach a role by saying I'll be unsavory or unlikable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rooker/i-don-t-approach-a-role-by-saying-i-ll-be-unsavory-or-unlikable/) [Michael Rooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rooker/) > [I don't approach a role by saying I'll be unsavory or unlikable. I think all the roles I've done have been very passionate people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rooker/i-don-t-approach-a-role-by-saying-i-ll-be-unsavory-or-unlikable-i/) [Michael Rooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rooker/) > [I always would be happy to make a character even more unlikable, but you know, there's a limit and if you go there, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-giamatti/i-always-would-be-happy-to-make-a-character-even-more-unlikable-but/) [Paul Giamatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-giamatti/) > [“If you are a person who has always been liked, it is hard to understand why you have, without changing a thing about yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/if-you-are-a-person-who-has-always-been-liked-it-is-hard-to/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [I think one of my big skills is making unlikable characters likable or real in some way. No matter how hateful people are, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-janney/i-think-one-of-my-big-skills-is-making-unlikable-characters-likable/) [Allison Janney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-janney/) > [“But of course Anton turned out to be brave and strong, and so he died while he was still unlikable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elise-blackwell/but-of-course-anton-turned-out-to-be-brave-and-strong-and-so-he-died/) [Elise Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elise-blackwell/) > [I don't think that because you are a perfectionist that that makes you necessarily automatically unlikable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/i-don-t-think-that-because-you-are-a-perfectionist-that-that-makes/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [“What is so broken about me? So unlikable? Why does it still hurt?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-remender/what-is-so-broken-about-me-so-unlikable-why-does-it-still-hurt/) [Rick Remender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-remender/) > [There are lots of unlikable characters in literature. It doesn't mean they're not fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-are-lots-of-unlikable-characters-in-literature-it-doesn-t-mean/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## More by Viola Davis > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-not-a-glam-woman-this-definitely-is-a-mask-i-put-on-for-the/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-why-there-s-so-much-bad-acting-out-there-because-you-could-see/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I want my work to reflect my level of gifts and talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-want-my-work-to-reflect-my-level-of-gifts-and-talent/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I don’t want anyone putting any limits on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-don-t-want-anyone-putting-any-limits-on-me/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ I think that's why August \[Wilson\] named her Rose \[in "Fences"\]; I really do. She's a rose in her sweetness and her kindness and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-s-why-august-wilson-named-her-rose-in-fences-i-really-do/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying could mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-suffered-from-low-self-esteem-for-much-of-my-life-and-now-to-feel/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-tell-my-daughter-every-morning-now-what-are-the-two-most-important/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-started-a-production-company-out-of-necessity-the-need-for-great/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-always-the-biggest-surprise-when-people-meet-me-how-buoyant-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out-2/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ It was hard, that confrontation scene \[in "Fences"\], that was a hard one. I felt like it was relentless, I never felt like I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-was-hard-that-confrontation-scene-in-fences-that-was-a-hard-one-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am addicted to any facial product that's anti-aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-addicted-to-any-facial-product-that-s-anti-aging/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) [Explore all 279 Viola Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## More Mess quotes > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [Well the first time I performed, my mom was like how she is now when sees me on stage – all red, smiling from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/well-the-first-time-i-performed-my-mom-was-like-how-she-is-now-when/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [Have God make a message out of your mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/have-god-make-a-message-out-of-your-mess/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [Kennedy had made a mess in Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. He had to do something to look good. The Apollo program of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-schirra/kennedy-had-made-a-mess-in-cuba-at-the-bay-of-pigs-he-had-to-do/) [Wally Schirra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-schirra/) > [Tell me what it's like. The race." "What it's like is a battle. A mess of horses and men and blood. The fastest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/tell-me-what-it-s-like-the-race-what-it-s-like-is-a-battle-a-mess-of/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [And this mess is so big And so deep and so tall, We cannot pick it up. There is no way at all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/and-this-mess-is-so-big-and-so-deep-and-so-tall-we-cannot-pick-it-up/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [It’s as easy as we choose to make it,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to mine. “At least, this decision is. Nothing’s truly easy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/it-s-as-easy-as-we-choose-to-make-it-he-murmured-pressing-his/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [Well this is just a fist. But when I start throwing it around I can leave one hell of a mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/well-this-is-just-a-fist-but-when-i-start-throwing-it-around-i-can/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [In 1966, NASA took over in space, and it has been a bureaucratic mess ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-yeager/in-1966-nasa-took-over-in-space-and-it-has-been-a-bureaucratic-mess/) [Chuck Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-yeager/) > [“It is what we can make of the mess we have made of things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-4/it-is-what-we-can-make-of-the-mess-we-have-made-of-things/) [T.S Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-4/) > [To mess around with Ebola is an easy way to die. Better to work with something safer, such as anthrax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-preston/to-mess-around-with-ebola-is-an-easy-way-to-die-better-to-work-with/) [Richard Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-preston/) [Browse all 2,130 Mess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I reserve the right to be a mess and completely unlikable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viola Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-completely-unlikable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mess" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-completely-unlikable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/viola-davis-1174_mess_i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-com_528152.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/viola-davis-1174_mess_i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-com_528152.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f2/viola-davis-1174_mess_i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-com_528152.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I reserve the right to be a mess and completely unlikable.” — Viola Davis", "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": "Viola Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I reserve the right to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-completely-unlikable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-reserve-the-right-to-be-a-mess-and-completely-unlikable/#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 } } ] } ```