I was not supposed to be in any way a liberated person. I was a female born in the '40s in a patriarchal family; I was supposed to marry and make everyone around me happy.
I prayed every night that God would keep my family safe. But as far as religion goes, I feel like everyone should have their own one-on-one with God.
It's kind of like family. I can't say that we go out to lunch and to the movies every day with each other. Everyone's fully grown adult women with lives.
Well, being that, at the house and being in the competition, it was very hard to be with family. We couldn't have visitors out of respect for everyone else there. But, being the American Idol, the focus would have been on me.
Everyone in my family used to work with some kind of tool in their hands every day. That's what we do. That's what I did before I got into acting.
I was always very dramatic - my family would probably use the word 'dramatic' - as a child; always putting on performances, making everyone come watch, and pay to watch. I was very business-savvy as a child.
Working with Disney is really and truly like working with a family. Everyone is so supportive and so wonderful. I've worked with Disney since I was twelve, and they've given me so many opportunities that I'll forever be grateful for.
New Year's Eve was always a big occasion at home with the family. Every year we would get the karaoke machine out and I'd entertain everyone, even as a young kid.
On the other hand, I think that the family, the traditional family, has a fundamental social role, because it's there that children are born and the investment in children is the greatest investment a country can make. The benefits of this investment...
If there is one thing about my family that I do identify with, it is that everyone is extremely hardworking. Also, the people whom I grew up with all did things they really loved. And I think that's an important lesson.
What bothers me about the whole trust-fund thing is that it sort of presumes that everything is handed to you. And if there is one thing about my family that I do identify with, it is that everyone is extremely hardworking.
Growing up, I just wanted to be like everyone else. I didn't value or understand the beauty in being different at the time in my life.
Baalbek is so beautiful. It is the heart of beauty in the Middle East - I want to embrace these people with my music. I will try so hard for them. Their president is a Christian, their prime minister is a Muslim. Music is for everyone.
Like the rest of the genetic lottery, beauty is unfair. Everyone falls short of perfection, but some are luckier than others. Real confidence requires self-knowledge, which includes recognizing one's shortcomings as well as one's strengths.
Everyone in show business has had the experience of the fan who is so excited at recognizing their favorite star, they say, 'Oh my gosh, you're my biggest fan!'
If you're going to be in the business of news and telling people the truth... you've got to be honest. You've got to have the same rules for yourself as you do for everyone else.
The blessing that this film business has given me is that when I walk into a school I automatically have everyone's attention. They want to hear what the guy from 'Con Air' and 'Desperado' has to say.
I believe that raising the status of women in Turkey is a responsibility shared by everyone. It is not only in Turkey; we are still in need of serious support for the role of women in business and society all around the world.
Meeting everyone you wanted to know in the small surf industry, I saw how the surf trade was made up of characters that not only surfed, but were able to develop a business out of their relationship with their product and the ocean.
Not everyone is born to run a $4 billion company. There is no magic formula. I've learned, and I've grown by learning. That's why I've enjoyed being in business so much: It's stretched me.
When I first started out in this business, it was easy because nobody wanted anything from me. But now everyone wants something from me, so it's hard to break away and just be a songwriter.
