Shakira

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

I have no idea where I want to go musically, but I'm fine that way. I don't need to be faithful to any concept, you know.

I have two kids, a career, and a man that takes a lot of my attention and time.

My man, Gerard, prefers meat over bone. That takes the pressure off. I already have a lot to worry about.

I've shaken hands with every radio station, from Honduras to Ryan Seacrest's.

Becoming a mom forced me to re-prioritize and make room for the things that are most important, while recognizing that there are things I can let go of, and the world won't crumble around me.

From a psychoanalytical point of view, we start discovering the world through our mouths in the very first stage of our lives, when we're just born.

A man's car is like an extension of their ego and their manhood.

For a while, I could only wear sweat pants because I was that intermediate size that you're not a small, you're not a large.

If it was up to me, I would just wear jeans and t-shirts, even to red carpets, but then no one would photograph me, so that would make me very sad. So you know, I've gotta keep up with the rest of the female population and sometimes try a little harder.

With pregnancy and nursing, the hormones mean your skin tends to be more sensitive to the light, so it's very important to use sun block every day.

What I do is I remove my makeup every night, use a little bit of Vitamin C serum, and that's it, pretty much. Of course, I use my 3D White products!

Seeing me in love is a constant state: there are no questions, as the answer is simply there.

When you feel complete, you don't need to get married, and you don't think about it.

I've written many love songs for Gerard. But it's never enough. I feel that he deserves a million love songs written for him.

I just don't find marriage a necessary step in a couple's life.

I came to understand that I'm never going to be the perfect mother, but I'm going to do the best I can. Same goes for everything in my life.

A kid cannot learn with an empty stomach.

Brazil is a country I hold very dearly. I've got followers there who I've been interacting with for years, as well as fellow artists like Ivete Sangalo, and it also has huge figures like Pele. I'd love to go to that World Cup - I'm not sure in what capacity, but I'll definitely be there. I know that nobody wants to miss it, least of all me.

I enjoy taking part in footballing events that are for social causes because, in my view, inspiring children through sport is a way of keeping their bodies and minds healthy as well as helping nurture their intelligence and ability to relate with others.

I adore my dad. He's a 78-year-old man and my inspiration.

Every day now, I discover something new. Go through phases in which I feel much more in touch with my feminine side in ways I never thought possible. I'm letting the woman inside of me speak, the desires of this woman, speak as loud as they can.

When we were in the Dark Ages, it was a question of humanity somehow managing to forget about itself. We put God in the centre of society, and people forgot about their own nature and desires. There was a huge deal of repression.

Colombia is not how people think it is. We used to eat fish every Sunday at the beach. In the town where I grew up, people did not tell lies.

People are not depressed in Colombia the same way people are in America.

I wish that one of my children will be like the Australian guy from the Discovery Channel show. The crocodile hunter.

Gerard doesn't tell me what to do. We discuss everything as a couple, as I imagine most partners do. We have a beautiful relationship and one of mutual trust.

I never made it to the school choir because the music teacher didn't like my voice. I was pretty sad. But he was probably right; I did have a voice a bit like a goat, but my dad told me to never give up and to keep going, and it's paid off.

I actually support President Obama's initiatives on early childhood. He has appointed me as a commissioner to consult his administration on educational excellence for Hispanics in the U.S. We try to find ways to improve the education system for Hispanics in America, to achieve excellence.

President Obama is highly concerned with education. He's a champion on early-childhood development strategies. So I like the work he's doing, and I support it, and I realise that he's one of very few political leaders around the world that actually has early-childhood development strategise at the top of his agenda.

Dealing with boys at work and being the only girl can be challenging. I have my insecurities, but I've learned I have to be a good sport. I have to be able to take certain jokes and not take them personally. There are jokes made almost every second of the day. I had to develop a tough hide. You know, the music industry is dominated by guys.

If the fastest growing population in this country is Latino, that means we are the future of this country. And, we have proven we have talent. Now we need the tools to succeed.

I now talk to different cultures, and I hope that I can bridge those gaps and differences between us. It's an adventure, a dream... I feel like I'm on an anthropological mission.

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. Human beings are slaves to our dreams, and I am, too. Now I think I just want to share my musical proposal in its entire form.

The ALAS Foundation was born as a consequence and a continuation of what we are doing with Pies Descalzos. 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.

Both the IDB and Fundacion ALAS believe that the future of prosperity and equality that we hope for has to start today with higher investment and higher quality in Early Childhood Development programs throughout the region.

I would sing anywhere they would invite me. That's how I made my first pesos. I used to sing at beauty pageants, local events of every sort.

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

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.

I'm a multi-faceted woman and person, like all women are - there's no black and white. We have shades of grey in the middle. And even many more colours that other people don't see!

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.

Relationships have to have a give and take if they're going to work in the long term.

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.

Gerard and I pretty much share all parenting responsibilities, although I'm definitely the disciplinarian.

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

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

I'm more afraid of marriage than death.

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

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

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.