Mata Hari

Exotic dancer, spy

Contemporary weird famous 121 sayings

Sayings by Mata Hari

I am a victim of circumstance, a pawn in a game I do not understand.

1917 — Letter from prison
Humorous Unverifiable

If I am guilty, then all women who love freely are guilty.

1917 — Trial testimony (paraphrased by some sources, exact wording debated)
Humorous Unverifiable

I am not afraid of death. I have lived a full life, and I am ready for whatever comes next.

1917 — Reported statement before execution
Humorous Unverifiable

My only crime is to have been born beautiful and to have used my beauty to live my life as I wished.

1917 — Attributed during trial
Humorous Unverifiable

I am a butterfly caught in a storm.

1916 — Letter to a lover
Humorous Unverifiable

They say I am a dangerous woman. Perhaps I am. But I am also a woman who loves life.

1915 — Reported statement
Humorous Unverifiable

To dance is to live. To live is to dance.

1907 — Interview about her art
Humorous Unverifiable

I have no country, no family, no home. I am a wanderer, a free spirit.

1914 — Conversation with an acquaintance
Humorous Unverifiable

My past is my own. My future is uncertain. But my present is mine to enjoy.

1913 — Letter
Humorous Unverifiable

Men are all the same. They want beauty, pleasure, and a woman who knows how to keep them entertained.

1910 — Reported remark
Humorous Unverifiable

I am not a saint, nor am I a sinner. I am simply a woman.

1916 — Attributed statement
Humorous Unverifiable

Love is a dangerous game, but I love to play.

1915 — Letter
Humorous Unverifiable

They say I am a temptress. Perhaps I am. But I tempt with beauty, not with malice.

1908 — Reported conversation
Humorous Unverifiable

My life has been a dance, a series of movements, some graceful, some clumsy.

1917 — Reflective statement
Humorous Unverifiable

I prefer to live dangerously than to live a life of boredom.

1909 — Attributed remark
Humorous Unverifiable

My only weapon is my charm.

1916 — Reported statement
Humorous Unverifiable

I am a legend in my own time, even if it is a tragic one.

1917 — Letter from prison
Humorous Unverifiable

The truth is a complicated thing. Sometimes, it is better left unsaid.

1917 — Conversation with her lawyer
Humorous Unverifiable

They will remember me, even if they condemn me.

1917 — Attributed statement
Humorous Unverifiable

I am a woman of many secrets, and some of them I will take to my grave.

1917 — Reported remark
Humorous Unverifiable