Quotes from Shakira

As women, we need to embrace our bodies and be confident with who we are.

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.

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

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.

I want some day to be able to love with the same intensity and unselfishness that parents love their children with.

I think my dad is the only Arabic descendent who is an unsuccessful businessman.

I've always thought of myself as a woman who works hard, believes in herself, and wants to accomplish as much as possible.

Even after I got some recognition and success, I still had to work hard and prove myself.

A kid cannot learn with an empty stomach.

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 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.

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.

My little boy (Sasha) is now one-year-old and that makes it easier for me to go back to the studio and work on creating new music.

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.

Breastfeeding has been one of the best experiences of my life. I love it! I can't stop! I think I'm going to breastfeed him until he goes to college! I'm hooked!

Live your life to the fullest.

It doesn't matter if you are a musician, a business leader, a president or a student. We all have a responsibility to give back.

I remember the first time I saw the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video. I will never forget that day. I just wanted to see Kurt Cobain's face. I had a feeling he was very cute. But, I couldn't see his face. When I finally did see him, he was even cuter than I imagined!

My videos represent the artist in me very well, but not the kind of woman I am.

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.

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.

The music industry is dominated by guys. I work with men 98 percent of the time - producers, arrangers, musicians, engineers.

There's no better makeup than self-confidence.

I'm more afraid of marriage than death.