The worst part of this quote is that, in the original, she (Marilyn Monroe) actually framed her “worst”:
>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.
So in the context it sounds more like “here are my flaws - take me or leave me, but you won’t change me”. Which sounds reasonable. But without that context it sounds more like “I’m entitled because I like to pretend that I’m above other people”.
This is a similar thing to “the customer is always right”, where the meaning has shifted due to lost context. The original quote was “the customer is always right in matters of taste”. Basically, it meant that if the customer wants to buy something, they’re not wrong and stupid because the seller thinks it’s wrong and stupid to want to buy. Not that the customer is in a perpetual moral high ground over the business and should be granted every wish.
I’ve seen this before but is that truly the origin? On the Wikipedia page, the quote(s) do not seem to allude to taste or buying preferences at all but rather to customer service. I’ve tried searching but I haven’t seen any primary sources state that the original quote, or intent, was with the inclusion of “in matters of taste”.
Okay, I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s kind of an apocryphal reverse-explanation to counter currently all-too-common abusive behavior towards service personnel. I think it’s just an old motto that once made more sense than it does today when it’s been in use for over a hundred years.
The worst part of this quote is that, in the original, she (Marilyn Monroe) actually framed her “worst”:
>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.
So in the context it sounds more like “here are my flaws - take me or leave me, but you won’t change me”. Which sounds reasonable. But without that context it sounds more like “I’m entitled because I like to pretend that I’m above other people”.
This is a similar thing to “the customer is always right”, where the meaning has shifted due to lost context. The original quote was “the customer is always right in matters of taste”. Basically, it meant that if the customer wants to buy something, they’re not wrong and stupid because the seller thinks it’s wrong and stupid to want to buy. Not that the customer is in a perpetual moral high ground over the business and should be granted every wish.
I’ve seen this before but is that truly the origin? On the Wikipedia page, the quote(s) do not seem to allude to taste or buying preferences at all but rather to customer service. I’ve tried searching but I haven’t seen any primary sources state that the original quote, or intent, was with the inclusion of “in matters of taste”.
I got it from my college econ professor, so I don’t have further sourcing. Sorry
Okay, I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s kind of an apocryphal reverse-explanation to counter currently all-too-common abusive behavior towards service personnel. I think it’s just an old motto that once made more sense than it does today when it’s been in use for over a hundred years.