Gwen Stefani quotes:

Finding that balance between work and family is the hardest thing I've ever done - by far.

I remember when I was in school, they would ask, 'What are you going to be when you grow up?' and then you'd have to draw a picture of it. I drew a picture of myself as a bride.

I don't have a strong sense of self-worth unless I'm doing something.

I wanted so badly to have a backup plan for when I'm not performing anymore. Let's be realistic: it's not going to be like this forever.

Being a singer is all about me. About ego. Being a mom is all about being selfless - two different worlds.

If I wasn't even famous or had any success, I would still wake up and put tons of make-up on, and put on a cool outfit. That's always been who I've been my whole life, so that's never gonna change. I love fashion. I love getting dressed up. I love Halloween, too.

I was thinking that when I have children, that I should always dress as a character for them, so they think their mom is Alice in Wonderland or Cinderella. It would be totally messed up!

Before, I was really passive, all I cared about was being in love with my boyfriend. I didn't have any creative power, nothing. I don't know that person any more.

You know, I was chubby when I was a little girl. And I have all those issues everyone else has. But I try not to. And I've learned over the years that it's such a waste of time. And people like me whether I'm a little bit fatter or not.

Now I'm a wife and a mother of two. It's a really different role. I always referred to No Doubt as a marriage, because that's what it's like to be together for so long and go through what we've been through. I can't really have that relationship with them anymore.

The one thing that makes me feel super lucky about my financial success is that I have a housekeeper.

I think I've been able to fool a lot of people because I know I'm a dork. I'm a geek.

It feels like the more I'm out there in the public eye, the more criticism I get. You need to have confidence - that's what it takes to walk out there and sing a song in front of a huge group of people.

As a famous person you think how you're gonna end it, get away and have a normal life.

I like the old, vintage Hollywood look.

Music has this emotional thing to it, and it touches people in crazy ways. The power of having that power is something that, once you have it, you don't want it to ever end.

This last year I kind of stopped working out. I think my body just needed a break. And so I did that, and focused more on feeling good as opposed to beating myself up.

I'm happy to have L.A.M.B. participate in the PSP accessories show as I've always loved designing bags and accessories, It's all about creativity at the end of the day, whether you're talking about fashion, technology or music, and that's what my L.A.M.B. bags are about.

My priorities are always going to be my husband and my family now. That's a huge, huge thing.

I got married and decided I wanted to do a dance record, and I didn't ever expect for it to be what it was or for the 'No Doubt' thing to be such a long break, but it was one of those things where you just had to sort of follow your inspiration.

Being a mom is hard, I think a lot of working moms feel that way.

I don't fight with people - like, I can barely fight with my husband because I'll just start crying instead.

My parents always pushed creativity on us, but they made it seem like the fun thing to do.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice your performance for high heels.

I'm like every other girl. I have to try really hard my whole life to try to be fit. And I'm super-vain.

I've always been a girl who loves to dress up.

At a certain point I'm going to want to have a family.

I never wanted to go for the cute boys. Why would you wanna have a boyfriend that's cuter than you?

I like to make my husband like me more, and he likes it when I'm wearing makeup.

I'm kind of lazy. I like to lie around with my husband and watch TV and stuff like that.

Everything works out how it should.

Act as young as you feel. You're not getting older; you're getting more entitled to be your fabulous self.

I've never been good at giving advice. The only advice I ever gave people was to find something that you are passionate about. But I hate giving advice, because, who am I? I'm just a girl.

I definitely look back at certain moments and don't think I look good...but I know why! I didn't have a hair stylist, I did all my own makeup, and I was going to the local fabric store for all of my outfits.

I don't know why I've always loved makeup so much. It helps me get ready for my day and the stage. It really does make a huge difference. We're just so lucky as women to be able to wear it. If you're having a bad day you can change that. Guys don't have a choice and just have to face the world like that. Could you imagine?

I would love to learn to play something so I don't have to rely on someone to collaborate with.

Working with (new collaborators) and letting people in to try new melodies and new lyrical ideas was very hard.

I want to be a guy, but I want to wear a lot of makeup.

Generally I would say that I'm not a super-adventurous shadow girl. I'm all about a lip, eyebrow, and mascara, but through the years, working with different talented makeup artists, I learned how awesome eye makeup can be if you get it right. That's how we got the colors we came up with.

Even being close to L.A., I was always inspired by old movies and Marilyn Monroe and the glamour of Hollywood.

I`m like a peanut butter sandwich.

[On husband Gavin Rossdale:] We're a perfect couple. He cooks, and I eat.

It's interesting to watch where music is going next. Isn't it always rotating? It is so weird how disposable pop music is, even mine. It just goes by so fast.

Kingston is so chill. He goes with me everywhere. He's been to every studio in L.A., New York, London. He lives up to his name-total Rasta boy. He gives me a real balance. You can go 100 miles an hour, but you still have to stop to hang out with him.

My husband really loves the red [lipstick], so I keep the red because I want to keep the husband.

I remember so vividly the first song I ever wrote. It was called 'Different People.'

It was such a turning point to find that I had a talent and I had something to contribute, somewhere.

After you make a fool of yourself a few hundred times, you learn what works.

I've made clothes my whole life, but I was just naive about the fashion world. But I think it's successful because I've been really involved. Picking the samples, inspirations, color palette.

I'm lucky to not have a real job, to be able to express myself, be creative and be relevant.

I don't mean this in a stuck-up way, but I needed an attitude song.

I've been spoiled being in the fashion business. My son will be like, 'Mommy, 20 new pairs of shoes came today. How come?' Because I'm always telling him it's not normal to have 20 pairs of tennis shoes to try on before school.

I wish I could write more make-believe. It's a lot easier to write about hard times and when things are going wrong. But I've never been a private person.

I love that contradiction of being feminine but playing in the boys' treehouse. My whole life's been like that.

My mom always said I was the peacemaker in the family. My older brother, Eric, was the leader, the creative one. I was just his puppet.

I imagine my children are going to save me from my vanity and be my passion and fill whatever fears I have of the amazing time I'm having right now being gone.

Being in a band you can wear whatever you want - it's like an excuse for Halloween every day.

I thought that I was going to be like this earth mother. When people would complain about being pregnant, I was like, 'What are you talking about? It's incredible! Just enjoy it.'

I'm just, like, totally normal. The fact that any of this has happened, that we're sitting here at the Beverly Hills Hotel just gets me going, like, 'What?'

Writing songs is super intimate. It's a bit like getting naked.

Life is short and you've got to get the most out of it.

I've been trying to do films for years. So I've decided to wait until the next good part comes along and develop a record on my own in the meantime.

I have learned to delegate.

My songs are basically my diaries. Some of my best songwriting has come out of time when I've been going through a personal nightmare.

I was a different person before I started to write. When I realized I could be a songwriter and that people would listen - that was when I started feeling good in my life.

I have to be creative to be happy.

I try not to be but I'm super-neurotic about diet. I'm neurotic about trying not to be neurotic! I'm like every other girl. I have to try really hard my whole life to try to be fit. And I'm super-vain. And I want to wear cute clothes.

My mom and dad met at Anaheim High School. After they got married, all they wanted to do was have four children, and they did.

A miracle... my biggest accomplishment is my marriage so far. Because it's hard, everyone knows it's hard.

I'm really emotional. I don't fight with people - like, I can barely fight with my husband because I'll just start crying instead. I've learned not to do that.

[Marriage] was the one thing I didn't want to fail at.

A great day for me is not getting out of bed. I like to see how many snacks I can eat..and how many really bad TV shows I can watch

Although I'd always wanted children, it was such an opposite thing to being a singer.

And all I know is, you've got to give me everything. Nothing less 'cause, you know I give you all of me.

And if I let myself down, appear on stage when I'm not looking my best, it's not fun for me. I just beat myself up about it.

At first it was my brother's songwriting and I was just doing what everyone told me.

Don't shave, don't shower, don't care. Be really stinky and wear the same clothes every day. I think what makes a man sexy is not being self-aware. That's what's really cute to me.

Every day I fail at something.

Every record that I've ever made, I listen to it so much before it comes out. As soon as it comes out, I never listen to it again. It's, like, over.

Have another baby. I mean, it's such a miracle to have one. And there's so...

How am I supposed to be a mom to two kids, a wife and do a show every night? It's impossible!

I clearly remember writing songs [when I was young] and the power that it gave me of feeling like somebody. My whole life changed when I wrote those songs, even before anyone ever heard them. It wasn't a commercial thing.

I didn't know anything about fashion, growing up in Orange County. I just knew about it through music, how ska bands dressed.

I grew up in a normal family. I have sweet parents, who are still married. But my life is so different from how I thought it would be.

I grew up near Disneyland, and my brother's an animator, so I was always really inspired by bright, cartoony colors and that whole feeling of happiness.

I had done the No Doubt record Push and Shove, and that was a real challenge for me: I think after the giving birth twice, going on multiple tours, all the stuff that I had done, I really got quite burned out after that.

I had gotten pregnant with Apollo, and I didn't plan on that - it was just such a beautiful miracle. Four weeks later they called me and, like "Do you want to do The Voice?" It was this incredible opportunity to do something different.

I have people that are affected by what I do, what I say, and that would be the one place where it gets complicated. But being honest and truthful - I just believe that's the best way to be.

I have to work very hard to look the way I do. I want the girls out there to know that.

I love Vivienne Westwood. So much. Every time I go to London, first thing I do is go in there. It's ridiculous!

I remember my boyfriend and I had just broken up, and I was like 'I don't care how much it costs, I'm getting my hair bleached!' That's really when everything changed.

I remember the day I discovered James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. I don't know why it affected me so strongly, but I walked down to the corner store and bought every poster of them, and I did my whole room up. Overnight.

I take the palette with me, but I have a lot of makeup. I was a makeup artist when I was younger, but I'm not that good compared with my makeup artist, so I keep things pretty simple. I explore a lot with pink and nude lipsticks, but I love red lipsticks. I love a line and a lash and a brow. So I don't need a lot, but I have a lot. It's all there just in case - for Halloween or whatever.

I think after doing Push and Shove and having it not be successful, I lost a lot of confidence. Songwriting, for me, has always been traumatic, and I've always made all these excuses. But I've realized that you have to just accept that it was a gift: "I don't know where it came from, I don't know how I did it, but I did write all those songs, and I gotta do it again."

I think everyone has gifts and everyone has talents. If you are successful at it, it feels really good but it never really penetrates completely.

I think when I first started discovering I could write songs, I was so naive. And it was after I got broken up with and had my heart sliced up into a bunch of little pieces that I was like, "I'm going to say this." I didn't even know how to play guitar.

I try not to be but Im super-neurotic about diet. Im neurotic about trying not to be neurotic! Im like every other girl. I have to try really hard my whole life to try to be fit. And Im super-vain. And I want to wear cute clothes.

I was down after divorce - I was all the way down. And I just felt like, "God, I gotta turn this around. I can't go down like this. I have to know that this is happening for a reason." And I knew that I had to turn to music.

I work out five days a week, I can't imagine not doing it.

I'd like to have no rules and eat what I want, but I've learned over the years that I'm so disappointed when I can't wear the clothes I want to wear.

If you're not Prince, you're never going to sound like Prince.

I'm hoping my children will save me from my vanity. If it doesn't, plastic surgery is an option... It sucks to have to grow older. We all have to accept it.

I'm in a band, and I know exactly who those girls are. I know exactly what goes on backstage. I wish I had a little leash to walk him around.

I'm just an Orange County girl from a loving family making music with my friends. It's not really that big of a deal.

I'm just writing what I feel, and I really don't think I've done anything wrong that I need to hide. The biggest thing, and I don't even like to bring it up, is my children - you know, you've gotta protect them.

I'm neurotic about trying not to be neurotic!

I'm trying to be present, not thinking and worrying about the past or the future. That's such a waste of time, you know?

I'm vain enough to want do a movie again, but right now more roles are the last thing on my list.

I'm vain enough to want do a movie again.

It takes a lot of selfish time to make music.

It's not about me - it's like, "How can I help you?" And when you give like that, you receive so much. It was an incredible experience, but it also gave me that bug: I wanted new music so badly.

It's superfun being a mom, but it's hard too.

I've always loved fashion - it's a reflection of your personality.

I've always worked really hard, and the hardest thing I've ever done is have kids!

Look at your watch now. You're still a super hot female.

Love is when you have a bad day but then you see the one you love and everything seems to be ok

Music & Fashion; it all comes from the same place of creativity.

My mom and dad met at Anaheim High School.

My mom was always making me clothes. We'd go to the fabric store, pick out patterns, and it was a creative process. I heard that word a lot growing up: creative.

Never say never. In your life you never know what's going to happen next.