Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.

This line is commonly read as a paradoxical, pro-woman provocation: if women aim merely to be “equal” to men, they are setting their sights too low, because equality should be a baseline rather than the ceiling of aspiration. In that sense, “lack ambition” implies that true ambition would demand more than parity—greater freedom, self-definition, and achievement on women’s own terms. However, because the wording can also be taken as dismissive of equality claims, its meaning depends heavily on authentic context and speaker intent. Without a reliable primary source tying it to Monroe, the quote’s significance is best treated as a modern aphorism attributed to her rather than a secure statement of her views.