Shakira quotes:

I thank God that I'm a product of my parents. That they infected me with their intelligence and energy for life, with their thirst for knowledge and their love. I'm grateful that I know where I come from.

We need to provide higher quality and innovative early childhood development programs all throughout Latin America.

The Summit of the Americas is an excellent platform to raise awareness and secure commitments from heads of state and different sector leaders regarding Early Childhood Development.

I pefer an ugly truth to a pretty lie. If someone is telling me the truth that is when I will give my heart.

Success happened little by little for me. I tasted the flavor of fame in small doses: I started at 10 years old when I won a music contest; I was performing at birthday parties, company meetings.

It's incredibly liberating to spend an hour talking to someone and not caring about what you sound like. It's about understanding myself. Sometimes I'll speak to my therapist for an hour a day. It's become part of my routine.

Education is the only way forward in Latin America and developing countries in general.

I remember the first time I saw the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video. I will never forget that day. I just wanted to see Kurt Cobain's face. I had a feeling he was very cute. But, I couldn't see his face. When I finally did see him, he was even cuter than I imagined!

Providing all Latin-American children with the education and early childhood development that they need is in the best interest of all, so it has to be a priority for all of us, not only the government and civil society, but also the business sector.

I'm lucky to have family around me. Otherwise, I'll be taking the risk of falling in love with myself.

My dad is a writer, and to see him always in front of a typewriter gave me the inspiration to write. He was my idol, my hero. I wanted to be just like him.

I wanna stay an eternal girlfriend. I want to have my boyfriend's children, but I don't think we need a piece of paper to regulate the game, and we don't have to go through the whole stress of a wedding and suffering to throw a good party.

It doesn't bother me to talk about my private life, it doesn't bother me to talk about anything. My life is like a glass of water, transparent.

You can't achieve anything in life without a small amount of sacrifice.

My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with difficulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you and when they respect you they don't love you.

I want some day to be able to love with the same intensity and unselfishness that parents love their children with.

I always knew that I was tremendously creative. I recited love poems, I wrote stories and I got excellent grades in every subject, except for maths.

I know what it's like to feel that fear and the need of affirmation and appreciation. To build confidence in yourself is the toughest thing.

I just want to grow old with a man who takes care of me, and I want to eventually have kids and want them to be good children to me. Just want to be treated nice and have respect.

You're a song written by the hands of God.

I think, if you can prove the existence of God, it can only be proven through love.

I did not want to spend the rest of my life not being able to ride in a nice car.

I'm more afraid of marriage than death.

The thing is, my dad's always been more of a bookworm; he was interested in more intellectual pursuits, but nobody can escape the passion that football stirs.

I love reading about history. Sometimes, I feel I was born in the wrong era. There was more creativity in the air when people were still discovering new worlds.

The worst frustration for a singer is choosing a career in making music and then not being able to make music because you're always giving interviews.

Videos come definitely after the music has been created, but I have always felt, and especially today, that videos are vital in the album process. I think that we live in a very visual era, and if you make a mistake with a video, those images will accompany the song forever.

The music industry is dominated by guys. I work with men 98 percent of the time - producers, arrangers, musicians, engineers.

I feel comfortable in my pop shoes. They let me walk in any direction. I like to go from one extreme to the other. One day I feel that I want to do a song with reggaeton influence, I do it. The next day I feel I need to do a song with rock elements to it, I do it.

I'm convinced that promoting sport is an intelligent way of educating our children.

I was five years old; I got addicted to being on stage. I felt like it was the most wonderful place on Earth, performing in front of an audience, who in this case were a bunch of classmates, kids my age.

I admire Madonna because she always did whatever she felt like doing. She went through some controversial periods when people rejected her, but she kept on reinventing herself.

I consider myself a laborer, building my career brick over brick under the sun.

My brain, I believe, is the most beautiful part of my body.

I always had the intuition, even as a little child, that I was called for a big project.

A good fragrance should have a certain personality that makes people identify the scent with you.

You want to be skinny and have a good body? You have to work out every day and say no to certain foods.

I'm Colombian and nothing will change that.

I like to see people's eyes when I'm singing to them.

I feel a real sense of duty to use the voice and the platform I've been afforded by my fame to speak out for those whose voices don't get a chance to be heard.

All through my twenties, I spent more time worrying what I didn't have than thinking about what I did have. I wished that I was taller, had longer legs, slimmer hips, a smaller bottom, even straighter hair.

Writing in English was a major challenge. I didn't want other songwriters to write for me. I wanted to preserve the spirit of my songs in Spanish. I am the same Shakira in English as I am in Spanish.

Writing songs has a therapeutic effect, and it either kills off love or wins the heart of the lover.

In this life, to earn your place you have to fight for it.

I am trying to make my accent so it won't bother anyone, but I am not going to drive myself crazy trying to pretend I am an American girl when I am from Colombia.

The schools play an important role when it comes down to protecting children against violence.Violence is one of the principal reasons why children don't go to school. It's also one of the causes of the alarming school dropout rates.

I admire a person who, for the love of art, is able to take off their clothes in front of a camera. But I'm not capable, I'm too cowardly for that.

I was unaware of the dispute in Brooklyn. I would never knowingly wear any clothes or support any company who produced clothing with alleged wage and labor violations.

There is no other investment that has the kind of social multiplier effect that early education has. It is an incredible thing to nurture and watch grow and spread.

I'm like a mosquito, I love humidity. I don't sweat.

My hips don't lie and I don't lie either!

Sexy is good as long as it's not the main recipe. It's an ingredient. I would not appear in a leotard in a video if I [did] not have other dimensions.

I can be like a lioness when defending my people.

Live your life to the fullest.

The music teacher thought I sang like a goat. It was kind of devastating. A few months after that, I participated in a music contest and won. I took my little trophy to school and rubbed it in his nose. I said to him, "What do you say now?"

I like fragrances that have some sweetness to them. All three I have developed have that as a common element.

In the full light of day, I don't want to think about the sunset.

I know what I'm doing even when I'm wearing a pencil skirt.

Sensual is everything that refers to the delight of the senses. And that's what artists do, is stimulate the senses in any possible way.

I thank God that I'm a product of my parents, that they infected me with their intelligence and energy for life, with their thirst for knowledge and their love. I'm grateful that I know where I come from.

My therapist taught me why I behave in certain ways and not to feel so pressured.

I think my dad is the only Arabic descendent who is an unsuccessful businessman.

In Colombia, education is sometimes considered a luxury, not a human right. And it's not a priority in the agendas of many leaders.

Elixir' means magical potion, so I wanted to depict the kind of bottle that was used in ancient times, but that looked modern and chic as well. I also wanted it to have a golden tint to evoke the memories of sands and sunsets.

I think a fragrance is all about sensations and imagery, and can evoke visions, feelings and thoughts.

Fame isolates people from reality. That happens to many artists, and I don't want it to happen to me.

I started the Pies Descalzos foundation in Colombia when I was 18, and since then I have been very involved in the crusade for education.

I am a person who has many dreams. But as soon as I accomplish one, I move on to the next. That's my fatal, absurd nature.

I always believed that women have rights and that there are some women that are intelligent enough to claim those rights. There are some others that are stupid enough not to.

The truth is that I'm more afraid of marriage than of death.

Always I was dreaming of a record contract. From 10 to 13, it was all I could think of. I worked hard for this dream. Nobody could say I didn't try.

As women, we need to embrace our bodies and be confident with who we are.

Barcelona is a great city and Spain is a great country to live in.

Because of you, I'm running out of reasons to cry.

Becoming a mother has taught me to simply things and also to appreciate being at home more.

Breastfeeding has been one of the best experiences of my life. I love it! I can't stop! I think I'm going to breastfeed him until he goes to college! I'm hooked!

Europe is a very different place from my native country of Colombia and my children are growing up in a very urban setting which is nothing like when I was growing up and would be able to play barefoot in the street. But we have a very good life.

Even after I got some recognition and success, I still had to work hard and prove myself.

Everyone can know what is in my heart because I find it hard to conceal myself.

For several years I worried a lot about protecting an image, but today I have understood that the image cannot be preconceived.

Freddy Demann (Shakira's Manager) is a man that knows the world of music. And I know that I am in good hands.

Half of the world lives on [about] $2 a day. If there is a hungry kid in the world, we shouldn't consider ourselves more evolved than homo habilis.

I apply the same amount of dedication to being a mom as I do to my music.

I can't wait for the time when curves and a little belly fat will be sexy again!

I consider myself a survivor more than anything else.

I don't go out without make up. I'm a woman, you know.

I don't think I would want my children to enter into my profession. There's a lot of stress and so much competition. There are easier things you can do with your life.

I grew up in Barranquila, Colombia, and I spent most of my childhood dreaming about becoming a singer.

I have always loved performing.

I have never had one moment of stage fright and performing has always been a huge thrill and source of enjoyment for me. It's part of my personality.

I have such a respect and fascination for dance. I can be light as air or stay grounded. Dance is really another universe.

I live for freedom, and freedom is a lie.

I love to shake my hips, my hair, and my boobs. It's all about having fun and sharing your spirit with other people.

I never went to the gym before in my life. But, at 32, I notice that my body responds negatively to bad food, so I must make double the effort.

I prefer an ugly truth to a pretty lie. If someone is telling me the truth that is when I will give my heart.

I think it's my energy and love of life that has been the real key to my fame and success.

I think that we see war as a virtual thing and we even get to believe that bombs fall on top of cardboard cutouts and stuff like that. They don't. They kill real people, real children, real mothers and millions of innocent people.

If I could, I'd live in the nude, like Eve in paradise.

If you can prove the existence of God, it can only be proven through love.

I'm a firm believer that education is the most efficient tool we have to make people aware and make our children aware, and to protect them from the scourge of the century, which is AIDS

I'm a perfectionist in recovery. I'm trying to deal with that monster inside of me that wants to do everything right. Or better than right.

I'm happy. I have a man who makes me happy. And a family, which is what I most wanted in life.

I'm lucky to have family around me. Otherwise, I'll be taking the risk of falling in love with myself. But there are always people close to me who I trust, who will scold me and pull my ears if I need it. Fame isolates people from reality. That happens to many artists, and I don't want it to happen to me.

I'm not a trained dancer, but I grew up in a culture that revolves around dance.

I'm quite proud of my rear... I don't obsess over my flaws, because I see my body as a whole. Besides, I think men appreciate confidence more than perfection.

I'm someone who has always been very stubborn and strong-willed. I never gave up.

In 2006 I was asked to sing at the World Cup in Germany, and in 2010 I was fortunate enough to be asked again.

It's not easy to work with me, I recognize that. It's not easy if those people aren't as perfectionistic as I am.

I've always thought of myself as a woman who works hard, believes in herself, and wants to accomplish as much as possible.

My family endured a big crisis after my father's business went bankrupt and we went from having a comfortable life to having virtually nothing. I saw from that moment how fragile and precarious life can be and you have to work very hard not just to survive but also to accomplish something in life and fulfill your dreams.

My little boy (Sasha) is now one-year-old and that makes it easier for me to go back to the studio and work on creating new music.

My main hope for my children would be that whatever profession or calling they choose in life, that they pursue it with passion.

My man prefers meat over the bone.

My music career has been very rewarding, but success never came easily.

My songs are the reflection of how I think and how I feel in that moment. But I'm conscious of the fact that artists have a responsibility before the masses and they have to take care with their words.

Nationalism is cured by traveling.

Of course for a Colombian girl it was always impossible to even imagine becoming an international popstar, but my dream became reality.

Our leaders are lacking love, and love is lacking leaders.

People think I like to expose my body. But I don't. It's just because the dance moves require it.

Scars remind me of just how far that I've come.