Quotes from Conchita Wurst

You know, I have a very thick skin.

If you are prepared to admit to others and to yourself who you really are, then you can have a fantastic life. Of course, you need to have a thick skin to get through it all.

I'm not perfect, I just do what I think is right. So if I can't fulfil people's expectations, I'm sorry, but it's not my fault.

The most important thing will be when we actually stop talking about sexual orientation. The moment we reach that point when that is not important any more, we've reached a big goal which is a long way in front of us.

Over the years I've realised that there's nothing wrong with me. But there was a long way for me to go to get back to this loud and outgoing kid, and to get to the point where I could say, 'Yeah, I'm gay, so what?'

I love women. I grab every inspiration I can from women and for me it's a bit of fun.

My goal is a Grammy so my songs will have to be good.

Maybe I'll never get the Grammy. But maybe I will get things that are worth much, much more than any Grammy which could stand on my shelf.

I always say that my biggest goal is a Grammy, and on the way there I will grab everything that is given.

Conchita is a symbol of the fact that you just can live a wonderful life when you do what makes you happy.

Kids go crazy for the Krampus tradition and dress up as little monsters - they have beautiful masks, handmade from wood. Our village in Austria puts on a special play in which the creature tells an old beggar to repent his sins; when he refuses, he's beaten up by lots of Krampuses at once.

Expectations are dangerous. I recommend not having any, if only to avoid disappointment.

I'm a drag artist, and we put so much effort into creating characters, so the easiest way to show us respect is to call us by the name we gave ourselves and refer to the gender we have chosen to be on stage.

It is an honour and it's flattering that people refer to me as someone they trust or get inspired from.

I always say that tolerance doesn't depend on a country, because there is hate everywhere.

I took to the Eurovision stage as an opportunity to talk to Europe about tolerance and acceptance.

You can't reduce a country to its tolerance or intolerance.

As Conchita, I've got everything that I need to be glamourous and in the spotlight, giving interviews, doing photo shoots. And on the other side, there's Tom, this shy, boring boy. And I love to be shy and boring when I'm in private.

The private person Tom Neuwirth and the art figure Conchita Wurst respect each other from the bottom of their hearts. They are two individual characters with their own individual stories, but with one essential message for tolerance and against discrimination.

It's obvious for example that when I am Conchita, I use the female toilet, and when I am Tom, the male toilet. I can assure you it's never a problem for women, they love it.

The main topic I'm always talking about is equality, and I get that it's politics, but it shouldn't be. It should be the most normal thing ever. There's bullying and discrimination about the colour of your skin, your religion. And it must end.

The first song I remember listening to in a language other than German was 'Goldfinger,' by Shirley Bassey. I was seven years old at the time and I had no idea which language it was or who the lady was singing it, but it touched me and I realised that it was the sort of music I liked.

Being LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender) in Russia is anything but fun.

For me, my dream came true. But for society it showed me that people want to move on, to look to the future. We said something, we made a statement.