Diane von Furstenberg quotes:

I travel light. I think the most important thing is to be in a good mood and enjoy life, wherever you are.

Harbour Island in the Bahamas is beautiful, with turquoise water and pink sand.

There are emerging countries. I mean, there are countries, you know, China, India, and Brazil, and all of these countries that are emerging. They are building homes. They are building - so there is a new lifestyle.

There's design, and there's art. Good design is total harmony. There's no better designer than nature - if you look at a branch or a leaf, it's perfect. It's all function. Art is different. It's about emotion. It's about suffering and beauty - but mostly suffering!

Animals come from nature. They were not designed. All my inspiration comes from nature, whether it's an animal or the layout of bark or of a leaf. Sometimes my patterns are very bold, and you can barely see where they come from, but all the textures and all the prints come out of nature.

Clarity is the most important thing. I can compare clarity to pruning in gardening. You know, you need to be clear. If you are not clear, nothing is going to happen. You have to be clear. Then you have to be confident about your vision. And after that, you just have to put a lot of work in.

I design for the woman who loves being a woman.

I never modeled myself after anyone. The person who had most influence on me was my mother, but it was really for her strength and courage more than her style, even though she had a lot of style. In a weird way, looking at pictures of me when I was 17 or 18, I was dressing the same way. I haven't changed very much.

All I can tell you is that I've never met a woman who is not strong, but sometimes they don't let it out. Then there's a tragedy, and then all of a sudden that strength comes. My message is let the strength come out before the tragedy.

I'm very good at breaking up with people. Very good. It requires a lot of skill, but what you do is you tell them the truth of why you are breaking up with them, and after that, you somehow compensate with other things. If you have loved someone, I think that somehow they should always be a part of your life. I really do.

When you come to a hotel room, you want it to be grand, functional and beautiful. But you don't want things that are not useful. Sometimes you go to hotels and there are all these frames and pictures of people you don't know, and you end up hiding everything in the drawer, and then housekeeping come and put it out again.

The iPad! What is better designed than that? I read magazines on it, I play Scrabble. I use it for everything.

Insecurity is a waste of time.

My clothes are great for a honeymoon: They're light and sexy, colorful and pretty, and not expensive.

When I was young, I lived like an old woman, and when I got old, I had to live like a young person.

Eighteen months before I was born, my mother was in Auschwitz. She weighed 49 pounds. She always told me that God saved her so she could give me life. I was born out of nothing.

I was a very young girl and I got into fashion very much by accident, wanting to be independent. What was wonderful was that while I was learning and discovering - learning about the work, discovering myself as a woman - I was allowing other women to feel the same way.

I am not allowed to be afraid. My mother made me like that. As a child, if I was afraid of the dark, she would lock me in the closet. Things like this. And she would talk about the time she spent in the concentration camp, but not about being afraid, only about the good side of it.

My mother said that we're so lucky to be women. It's not that men are weak. Men are men. We're two completely different animals.

The way I design generally is very much travel-oriented because that is my life. That's why I make clothes that are so light and so easy to pack and a little bit seasonless.

A challenging economy is always good for design. It unites necessity and functionality. You are forced to be creative with poor materials.

My favorite days are the ones where I deal only with my own team, design, marketing, working on the next accessories collection.

The most important relationship you have in life is the one you have with yourself. And then after that, I'd say once you have that, it may be hard work, but you can actually design your life.

My best friend is me, and I take good care of me.

When I was a little girl, if I didn't eat my soup, my mother would say, 'You have to think of all the Chinese children who have nothing to eat.' But now, for my children, Chinese people make everything, and for my grandchildren, they buy everything.

You need, in your closet, clothes that will - that you can use in many different ways. Clothes that make you fell comfortable, clothes that make you feel 'you.'

I think all races are represented in America much more than in many other places, but it's also nice to remind people about that ethnic mix. I would like to see more black models and women from different ethnic backgrounds, but I also think that when you are casting, you just choose the most beautiful girl you can find.

The most important thing is to be healthy, to drink a lot of water, to fight gravity as much as possible. I am one of the few people who decided I wasn't going to do any invasion with my face.

Usually, the fairy tale ends with the girl marrying the prince. But mine started as soon as the marriage was over.

Work and children I could have. But the husband was just too much.

I'm not tired of who I am. That would be sad!

Just don't go to a place where everything is too expensive... it'll put your husband in a bad mood.

My mother never, ever told me about evilness. She only saw the beautiful things... she wanted to protect me from it.

What's important to me is to share, and being inspired, and inspiring.

I adore dark chocolate.

Fashion Week is so important for designers.

I was lucky because I got so successful so early, and when you get successful early, then you can afford to be a little bit humble.

I am a traveler. I am a nomad. I rarely sleep in the same bed more than three or four nights. And I know hotel life better than anyone.

Fashion is mysterious, as a rule. Why are blue jeans a classic? You just hit on something that happens to be timeless and right.

I gave up on my looks a long time ago.

I used to be very insecure about my curly hair, because I lived in a country where everybody had blonde straight hair.

I've always been inspired by women, and my mission was to inspire women. I always wanted to become a certain kind of woman, and I became that woman through fashion. It was a dialogue. I would see that the wrap dress made those women confident, and made them act with confidence.

The older I get, the more impressed I am with women. I have yet to meet a woman who is not strong. They don't exist.

The important thing is to take your time and not get stressed.

Ireland is also quite nice. So is Amsterdam.

Attitude is everything.

So as a founder, you have an authenticity and a human factor that is really special and that gives an enormous amount of energy and fuel. But as a founder, you're also not as cold, maybe, or as pragmatic.

Bali and the Aman resorts are all very luxurious, great places to go.

Be proud of yourself. Try to eat well...and when you cheat, enjoy it!

No one should notice how your eyes are done or the color of your eyeshadow. They should just notice you and notice that you're beautiful, that you have beautiful eyes.

What makes you attractive is being yourself, being natural, being unaware. Even though makeup is important, you should do it all, and then forget about it. You don't want to look like anyone else, any more than you want to be anyone else. You want to look like you. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery - but it's flattering to someone else. Not to you.

Being attractive for a few hours some evening is hardly worth being that unattractive all day (in hot rollers). Being yourself and being natural with a man is wonderful, but being downright unattractive with him is foolish.

Italy will always have the best food.

The biggest mistake a woman can make is not to be herself in public or private.

I had arranged a birthday party for him and my children, who are all Aquarians. Instead, we got married. I ran out of excuses. It was just us and my children.

If you pay attention, everyone is a novel. The most boring person, if you sit down and really listen, is someone interesting.

My son loves the Hotel du Cap, in the south of France.

Resisting a beautiful chocolate cake or a wonderful foie gras is as difficult as (the idea of) saying no to Paul Newman.

Building a wardrobe is like building a circle of friends your whole life.... Your own beauty is to be yourself, but of course we need tools and accessories.

We are living in such a troubled world that fashion seems completely irrelevant. Yet...it's a very, very mysterious thing. Why all of a sudden do people like yellow? Why all of a sudden do people wear combat boots?

I must have books everywhere. They're the soul of a room-they reveal the taste, the interests, and the secrets of whoever lives there.

When a woman becomes her own best friend life is easier.

I wanted to be an empowered woman, and I became an empowered woman. And now I want to empower every woman. And I do it through my clothes, I do it through my words, I do it through my money, I do it through everything.

I always wanted to be a femme fatale. Even when I was a young girl, I never really wanted to be a girl. I wanted to be a woman.

I've never met a woman who is not strong, but sometimes they don't let it out. Then there's a tragedy, and then all of a sudden that strength comes. My message is let the strength come out before the tragedy.

You're always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.

If you're a little hippy and full-bosomed, don't try to remake yourself in the image of a skinny fashion model. It won't work. You can trim down your hips. You should always concentrate on special movements to keep your breasts firm and lifted and young. Hippy and bosomy can be very nice, very desirable. Accept it.

I never try to make a major fashion statement but I want to be the friend in a woman's closet. I make dresses that women get laid in.

Don't let any of your good habits get boring.

The secret to a great marriage is having a great husband.

Now is the time to become a myth.

You cannot have a healthy body without drinking a great deal of water. But remember, you can't just drink a glass of water and tell a glass of water to please go straight to your skin and moisturize your complexion. Water has to be there all the time, doing what it does naturally in a healthy body.

If you like trekking, go to the Himalayas or Peru. I love those kinds of trips. But it all depends on your own life and what you like and what you expect.

One of my fondest memories was when I was in London as a young, independent businesswoman and stayed at Claridge's. I knew I had made it. To me, Claridge's is the most glamourous hotel in the world; I regard it as my home away from home. I am honoured to become part of the hotel's legacy and rich design history.

Go to a place where you're not going to be stressed, because a honeymoon itself can be a stressful thing.

Do I believe in reincarnation? Well, let's say that I believe in karma. I think you make your own karma.

I wanted to be an independent woman, a woman who could pay for her bills, a woman who could run her own life - and I became that woman.

Be the Woman You Want to Be....

The wrap dress is the most traditional form of dressing: It's like a robe, it's like a kimono, it's like a toga. It doesn't have buttons or zippers. What made it different was that it was jersey; therefore, it was close to the body and it was a print.

My goal in life is to be your best friend when you open your closet

You only regret what you don't do! Go for it, live your dreams and enjoy it all!

Water is life is love is life is water.

Today designer Alexander McQueen passed away...His talent was immense and he will remain immortal in the history of Fashion.

You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness.

Personal style is accepting who you are.

The most important relationship in your life is the relationship you have with yourself. Because no matter what happens, you will always be with yourself.

What I think I sell with my clothes is confidence, so hopefully all my dresses, my accessories, are friends to the women. When you open the closet, and your eyes are swollen, and you don't like the way you look, you go to your friends.

The trees at Cloudwalk have been my friends for forty years. I'm sure if I were sawed in half, our rings would match.

The success of every single woman is the inspiration for another.

The important thing is to believe in what you do. Have a big dream and take small steps.

I don't like to talk about my dreams. I like to make them happen. I prefer to talk about them when they're done.

I think living is serious. Living well, accepting yourself, using your talents to the fullest, enjoying yourself, that's all serious and important...But I think makeup and fashion should not be taken that seriously...You should have fun making up for a party. You should have fun wearing a sexy dress. When you're beautiful it should give you pleasure.

I get ideas about what's essential when packing my suitcase.

The girls who were unanimously considered beautiful often rested on their beauty alone. I felt I had to do things, to be intelligent and develop a personality in order to be seen as attractive. By the time I realized maybe I wasn't plain and might even possibly be pretty, I had already trained myself to be a little more interesting and informed.

I always wanted to live a man's life in a woman's body

We all have a Wonder Woman inside us.

Simplicity and sexiness, that's what people want. At a price that's not outrageous.

I was born in Belgium. I went to school in England and in Switzerland, then I came to America, so I really feel like I am a citizen of the world.

I always was fascinated with China, because I was born in Europe, and for us, China had this fascination and mystery. The first time I came here was in 1989. They were on bicycles, and the speed of the growth has been incredible.

I was terrified the first time that I had a big problem in my business. I was obviously terrified when they diagnosed me with cancer in 1994. I was terrified when my son used to drive too fast. But I do believe in the fact that fear is not an option, so I always try to face it and not be afraid.

Everyone knows I married a prince, and then I married a billionaire.

Women inspire me... so I enjoy women's stories and biographies. I am interested in all women.

I obviously don't feel under pressure to look young, because I have had no Botox or surgery. I don't judge people who choose to have it, but I don't want to erase who I am.

We need to encourage designers and agencies to be responsible. We need to make sure everyone is sensitive to the issues. But to calculate the girls' body mass - I personally think it is demeaning.

I'm not the only one; most people's mothers are the most influential person in their life. But my mother survived the camps, and she was very strong. She made me strong, but she wanted me to be strong. That's more important.

I have always been attracted to clothes designed by women. Coco Chanel, Vionnet, Norma Kamali, Donna Karan. They have a little more - how do I put it? - understanding.

As the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, I represent the designers. And while we can by no means take the blame for eating disorders, we can play our part in addressing this important issue.

I'm all about empowering women. And by lining them up against the wall and weighing them, surely you are making them feel more like meat than ever - even if it's little meat, if you know what I mean.

I never like to think that I design for a particular person. I design for the woman I wanted to be, the woman I used to be, and - to some degree - the woman I'm still a little piece of.

I've always liked wrinkles. When I was a young girl, I used to make lines on my face with my nails because I loved Jeanne Moreau. I always wanted to be older; I always added years to my life. For the longest time, if people thought I was older, I would take it as a compliment.

I am a fast dresser, 30 minutes max with hair and makeup. I don't have a uniform, but I like to be comfortable.

The real story is that I am very free, that I've managed to be who I wanted to be without compromising.

If you're a good person, the goodness will continue through your descendants.

The best-dressed man is an Italian who is trying to look English, or an Englishman who is trying to look Italian.

The fashion industry has a responsibility to represent a healthy image of women, but to start weighing them and putting them against a wall and making them feel like animals? No.

I am almost a vegetarian, and I meditate, do yoga and love to hike.

When you get into a hotel room, you lock the door, and you know there is a secrecy, there is a luxury, there is fantasy. There is comfort. There is reassurance.

I used the aspects of being a woman to my advantage, but I worked for myself, not a big corporation, so I was lucky to have the freedom to behave however I liked.

I had good legs, and I loved showing them off.

All women are the same, really: They are strong, but they are afraid of their own strength.