When I’m good, I’m very good. But when I’m bad, I’m better.
Genuine
Yes. In I’m No Angel (1933), Tira’s answer to a compliment on her evening performance; approximately 00:57:49 in the copy indexed by Clip.Cafe, said by Tira. These are the character’s words, not a statement in West’s own voice.
Checked against I’m No Angel (Paramount Pictures, 1933), Mae West as Tira; caption track of the seven-second film extract hosted by Clip.Cafe, Host HTML transcript 00:01.000–00:05.700; downloadable WEBVTT cues 00:01.500–00:06.200; host’s movie offset 00:57:49, in the recording’s automatic captions only.
- Work
- I’m No Angel, 1933
- Where
- Tira’s answer to a compliment on her evening performance; approximately 00:57:49 in the copy indexed by Clip.Cafe
- Source
- I’m No Angel (Paramount Pictures, 1933), Mae West as Tira; caption track of the seven-second film extract hosted by Clip.Cafe, Host HTML transcript 00:01.000–00:05.700; downloadable WEBVTT cues 00:01.500–00:06.200; host’s movie offset 00:57:49
- Checked
- In the recording’s automatic captions only
Researched by AI. Entry updated 22 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
About this quote
The scene
Tira answers a compliment on that evening’s performance. She turns the praise of how good she was into an insinuation about how much better she can be when she is bad. This is the fictional heroine’s dialogue, not a statement West made in an interview.
What it means
The joke changes the meaning of good from accomplished or respectable to sexually restrained, and makes bad sound more desirable.
Often misread
Often presented as West’s autobiographical maxim without naming Tira or the film. West performs it in character; the moral reversal is a flirtatious joke rather than a general ethical rule.
Also shared as
- A misquotationWhen I’m good, I’m very good. When I’m bad, I’m better. Wikiquote’s opening display omits But, although its later sourced listing includes it. The actual caption track includes But. Where it was seen
Related quotes
Sources
Cite it
Mae West, I’m No Angel (1933), Tira’s answer to a compliment on her evening performance; approximately 00:57:49 in the copy indexed by Clip.Cafe. Spoken by Tira. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/when-im-good-im-very-good/ (22 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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