I have gone through a lot of things, everything that you can imagine in life, but the best has been Gerard and Milan.
— Shakira
I have so many people out there that celebrate with me when they know that I'm happy. And they hate it when they know that I'm suffering because someone has hurt me.
I was a real mummy's girl - still am. And as for my father, well, I have an Oedipus complex I'm still working out. I love that man!
I feel like I'm not on Earth just to shake it and shake it endlessly, you know?
I'm double-jointed. I can put my legs over my head, which freaks people out.
I'm barefoot whenever I can be.
I feel like there is a part of me that represents a minority in the U.S., a minority around the world. People who struggle, people who want to succeed with drive and ambition.
In their 20s, women try to be somebody they're not and try to turn themselves into something different. Now I'm in my 30s; I'm very happy with who I am.
In the full light of day, I don't want to think about the sunset.
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.
Education is the only way forward in Latin America and developing countries in general.
I think, if you can prove the existence of God, it can only be proven through love.
I like fragrances that have some sweetness to them. All three I have developed have that as a common element.
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'm convinced that promoting sport is an intelligent way of educating our children.
In 2006 I was asked to sing at the World Cup in Germany, and in 2010 I was fortunate enough to be asked again.
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.
The relationship I have with my Hispanic fans is very deep and intricate.
When you have a baby, when you feel his love, you feel so at peace with the world. You just want to share the good news and share how happy you feel.
We've built six schools in Colombia and do work in South Africa and Haiti. We teach 5,000 students.
It's very difficult to think that you're with someone that you know, and all of a sudden you don't know them: it turns out that they betray you. It's painful, but it's best to turn the page.
I love food, and I'm a chronic over-orderer at restaurants.
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 do feel that I have to use my voice for those that don't have one. I have to do the best I can in my own work to represent my culture, represent the women of my country, of Latin America. What we stand for. What we're made of.
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.
The truth is that I'm more afraid of marriage than of death.
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.
I know that youngsters want to find something in common with each other and feel closer to each other ideologically through bridges such as the Internet.
A good fragrance should have a certain personality that makes people identify the scent with you.
I think a fragrance is all about sensations and imagery, and can evoke visions, feelings and thoughts.
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.
What happens is once you start to understand football, you realise that it's not just about the physical side of the game and chasing after a ball. It's a strategic sport which requires a lot of intelligence. It's a very mental game.
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.
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 would love to have eight or nine kids with Gerard - my own futbol team.
I tried to give my career a shot from Barranquilla, but the musicians would never show up. It was just not taken seriously.
Being raised in a developing country opened my eyes to so much I cannot tolerate. In Colombia, education is sometimes considered a luxury, not a human right. And it's not a priority in the agendas of many leaders.
Gerard is just like me, but two meters tall. We're very alike; it's not for nothing that we were born on the same day, it's just that he was born 10 years later... he's a happy guy, healthy here, in the head.
I'm a closet nerd. I love to study history and visit museums.
I can take the spotlight that shines on me and shift it towards those issues that are infinitely more important than my own issues.
My therapist taught me why I behave in certain ways and not to feel so pressured.
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.
I like to see people's eyes when I'm singing to them.
I never thought it was fair for an 8-year-old child not to be able to afford shoes, or to wander the streets having to beg for money. To know that child's joy would end soon, when they realised there was no future.
I consider myself a laborer, building my career brick over brick under the sun.
'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.
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.
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.
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.
Guys don't like women telling them what to do. It reminds them of their mothers, or something like that.
