I restore myself when I'm alone. A career is born in public — talent in privacy.

Beloved actress Marilyn Monroe had a complex relationship with fame: Though she is an icon of midcentury Hollywood glamour, she often spoke of the pressure that came with such popularity, and she retreated from public attention despite several high-profile relationships. After getting her start in lightweight roles, she made the mid-career decision to study with the renowned acting coach Lee Strasberg, away from the limelight. Her roles after this choice — such as the acclaimed 1959 film “Some Like It Hot” — catapulted the actress to global stardom. Her words here remind us that we make some of our most meaningful progress in private, when we are free of the expectations and projections of others.