Shakira

“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.”

“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.”

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

“I'm more afraid of marriage than death.”

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

“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.”

“I love food, and I'm a chronic over-orderer at restaurants.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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'm Colombian and nothing will change that.”

“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 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.”

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

“At the age of eight, I discovered that I could write songs. My dad used to take them to the notary and register them so that nobody could steal them from me.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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.”