I’ve been things and seen places.
Genuine
Yes. In I’m No Angel (1933), Tira’s early conversation with the visitor who introduces himself as Ernest Brown, following his boast about travel, said by Tira. These are the character’s words, not a statement in West’s own voice.
Checked against I’m No Angel (Paramount, 1933), directed by Wesley Ruggles; Tira’s conversation with the visitor calling himself Ernest Brown; published dialogue transcription at Springfield! Springfield!, in a full-text transcription.
- Work
- I’m No Angel, 1933
- Where
- Tira’s early conversation with the visitor who introduces himself as Ernest Brown, following his boast about travel
- Source
- I’m No Angel (Paramount, 1933), directed by Wesley Ruggles; Tira’s conversation with the visitor calling himself Ernest Brown; published dialogue transcription at Springfield! Springfield!
- Checked
- In a full-text transcription
Researched by AI. Entry updated 29 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
About this quote
The scene
After talking to an acrobat, Tira turns to another admirer. He says that he has been married five times, describes himself as a politician and boasts about travel. She reverses his expression about places and things, matching his worldly experience with a suggestive account of her own; he then introduces himself as Ernest Brown.
What it means
She has not merely visited places: she has lived through experiences and identities that he can only guess at. The reversal lets her outdo his boast without explaining herself.
Often misread
This is Tira’s flirtatious reply to a man’s boast in a fictional conversation, not a sentence from West’s autobiography. The joke depends on the reversed words in the preceding speaker’s remark.
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Cite it
Mae West, I’m No Angel (1933), Tira’s early conversation with the visitor who introduces himself as Ernest Brown, following his boast about travel. Spoken by Tira. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/ive-been-things-and-seen-places/ (29 October 2026).
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Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
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