Quotes from Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters

You can be beautiful and you can be smart and you can make a meaningful difference in your community, in your country, in your world.

When you are yourself, there is no wrong and there is no right, because being authentic and true to who you are and owning it is all anyone could ever ask of you.

Just like our bodies need rest, so does our hair. I put a hair mask on twice a month and walk around with it for a whole day.

In my carjack I immediately knew not to resist. I put my hands up, I didn't make eye contact, I didn't speak with them, I didn't argue with them, and he searched me - I knew he was going to search me, because I was told they would probably search you for phones or keys. I think once you expect something it's not as scary.

The crystal-clear water in Thailand offers the best swimming and snorkelling experience.

To ask for help does not make you weak. And that was something I felt after I was carjacked. I felt shame. I felt embarrassed. I felt weak about it. That's not the case at all. Once I did get help, I managed to overcome it and make something special with it, instead of not doing anything about it.

My hope is that Unbreakable will inspire women to believe in themselves, to value themselves and to know that asking for help does not mean you are weak.

I want to encourage women not to feel weak. Don't be afraid to speak out.

I realised at Miss S.A. and more so at Miss Universe that it's important to focus on your strengths and work on your weaknesses to know yourself well.

We are not just a farming area, Africa has great potential and we are a developing continent.

You don't need a title or a crown or a sash to be able to stand together with other women.

I think living in the U.S. it has given me an outsider's perspective on South Africa, and something that makes South Africans shine is our warm heartedness, and how we welcome and accept everyone, we are truly a nation of community, who embraces diversity.

When you enjoy the moment you're in, it shows in your actions, it shows in your words, in your expressions and in your eyes.

I've heard many women say that they were afraid to come out or they were too ashamed to talk about it because they thought it was something they had done to promote the man to sexually harass them - and that is not the case.

A woman should be allowed to be whoever and whatever she wants to be and she should be respected for that.

I rarely had the opportunity to work as a full time model or to pursue a professional career in modelling, because school was always my priority.

I grew up in Sedgefield, which is in the heart of the area along the Garden Route that has been ravaged by fire.

Meeting people from different countries makes you realise that everyone around the world has the same needs and aspirations.

And when I won Miss Universe, I got a global platform, which gave me a louder voice to be able to reach more women from every corner of the world. No matter where we live, our circumstances or how we grew up, we want to feel love, we want to feel cared for, and we want to feel powerful.

I'm a very hard worker, and if I put my mind to something I see it through, no matter what.

I don't believe in handouts, I believe in working hard for what you want.

Being a global ambassador is as much a responsibility as it is an honour.

Becoming Miss Universe made me realize that women worldwide face the same challenges daily, such as various forms of violence and crime, physical and emotional abuse, and toxic relationships, among others.

Crime against the vulnerable individuals of society is a worldwide problem and as women, we need to know how to defend ourselves both physically and emotionally.