"I am simple, complex, generous, selfish, unattractive, beautiful, lazy, and driven"
About this Quote
The specific intent feels twofold. First, it’s a defense against simplification: the public wants a Streisand who is either the disciplined diva or the difficult perfectionist, either the ingenue or the legend. She answers with an inventory that makes those binaries look childish. Second, it’s a quiet assertion of authorship. If she names her own flaws (“selfish,” “lazy”) alongside virtues (“generous,” “driven”), she controls the narrative before tabloids or talk shows can weaponize it.
The subtext is about gaze and power. “Unattractive, beautiful” isn’t just personal insecurity; it nods to a career spent being evaluated as an object and refusing to surgically or psychologically conform. Streisand’s fame was built partly on not smoothing herself into conventional Hollywood prettiness, and this line preserves that defiance: beauty isn’t a verdict handed down, it’s a condition that can coexist with doubt.
Context matters because Streisand is a working symbol of ambition. For a woman who directed, produced, negotiated, and endured decades of scrutiny, the contradictions aren’t hypocrisy; they’re survival. The quote works because it’s both humane and tactical: a reminder that the most honest identity statement often sounds like an argument with yourself.
Quote Details
| Topic | Self-Love |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Streisand, Barbra. (2026, January 15). I am simple, complex, generous, selfish, unattractive, beautiful, lazy, and driven. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-am-simple-complex-generous-selfish-unattractive-140300/
Chicago Style
Streisand, Barbra. "I am simple, complex, generous, selfish, unattractive, beautiful, lazy, and driven." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-am-simple-complex-generous-selfish-unattractive-140300/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I am simple, complex, generous, selfish, unattractive, beautiful, lazy, and driven." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-am-simple-complex-generous-selfish-unattractive-140300/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.








