Quotes from Iman

I had never seen 'Vogue.' I didn't read fashion magazines, I read 'Time' and 'Newsweek.'

At the end of the day, a 34B doesn't give you self-esteem.

The day you settle for less is the day you will get less.

When I lived in Egypt, we always wore kaftans. I had cashmere kaftans from Halston. You put on a kaftan in your backyard, and it's like you're in Ibiza.

The difference between rearing a child in your 20s and one in your 50s is one of patience.

I was under 18, and to leave Kenya to come to the United States, to get a passport, you had to be 18. So I lied and said I was 19 to get the passport, because otherwise, I had to have permission from my parents, and my parents would never have let me come.

Bowie is just a persona. He's a singer, an entertainer. David Jones is a man I met.

If I feel frustrated in a situation, I take a deep breath and walk away.

I speak five languages besides mine. I went to school in Egypt because girls weren't allowed to go to school in Saudi Arabia. It's very restricting, especially for girls; we're not allowed to go anywhere.

The people who are the most successful in life are not stopped by fear.

I would go to cosmetics counters and buy two or three foundations and powders, and then go home and mix them before I came up with something suitable for my undertones.

Nobody has ever said to me that I was pretty, 'til I met Peter Beard.

On my 50th birthday in 2005, my discount-wielding AARP card came in the mail. I hurled it in the trash, put on something fabulous, and had a decadent meal. Just the thought of putting it in my wallet felt like a concession.

My mother was an activist so was my father. They came from a generation of young Somalis who were actively involved in getting independence for Somalia in 1960.

I wasn't a major in political science for nothing, so I understood the politics of beauty and the politics of race when it comes to the fashion industry.

Change makes you find your calling, your legacy, and God's divine plan for your life. Don't run from it.

I believe the universe has great plans for us. When you are young, you don't learn that.

I'm a very political person, and I think things through clearly, even when I was 18 years old.

I thought at 46 years old, I've been removed from the fashion industry for 10 years. I couldn't possibly write a model's book. That's for a 20-year-old. But I could say what I want to say without chastising the industry.

Granted, I've changed internally as I've gotten older - I take it easy, I know when to stop and take care of myself, I laugh much more and with my belly and soul - but this comes from the confidence and acceptance that comes with maturity.

Eliminating the things you love is not wellness. Wellness feeds your soul and makes you feel good.

I was never a practicing Muslim. But I do consider myself a Muslim.

People talk about the miracle of birth. No. There's the miracle of conception. I did IVF, but nothing happened. So I began to think of adoption, and then I got pregnant. It was definitely a miracle.

I don't look like a white woman. I look Somali.