Naomi Campbell quotes: UK beauty and businesswoman talks risk, regret, depression, money and more.
“You have to create your own things. I think not just women but everyone should create what they want. If you want to do something don’t just sit and wait for the phone to ring; you have to create it yourself. If something doesn’t come your way, then you find another way.”
“I’m not going to wallow in self-pity and not live my life. There are always going to be some falls in life for everybody, no matter what career you have. You have to roll with the punches and keep going.”
“I think it’s always good to learn a craft from scratch the real way, so that you’ve learned it from the basis, the raw bones, and then you have that to fall back on. I personally wouldn’t want it any other way.”
“Look, you have to make mistakes. That’s how you learn and that’s how the world works.”
“I make many mistakes. Many mistakes. I’m not a perfect human being. I have to learn from my mistakes. And a lot of the ones I’ve made have been public. So I always get nervous when people speak about something that sounds like a role model.”
“In life, you have to have the vulnerability to accept when you are to blame.”
“Feeling passionate about something doesn’t mean you have to be angry.”
“I like to control everything, and you cannot control everything. You have to at some point say, ‘I let go and I’m going to let the cards fall where they fall.'”
“I like words like transformation, reinvention and chameleon. Because one word I don’t like is predictable.”
“There are always obstacles in life, and even if I did see obstacles, I never looked at it like, ‘Okay, we can’t achieve what we wanted. We can’t achieve what needs to be achieved.’ I’d look at whatever obstacles were in front of me and find the people who could help me overcome them.”
“What makes a person is the ability to look at themselves and deal with their own lives.”
“If you have to talk to more than three people about the same problem, you don’t want help, you want attention.”
“Anger is a manifestation of a deeper issue… and that, for me, is based on insecurity, self-esteem and loneliness.”
“I don’t like ‘yes people.’ I don’t want ‘yes people’ around me; I think they’re extremely dangerous. I like people who are honest with me and tell me the truth.”
“Life’s too short to bullsh*t.”
“Children are our future, we must take care of them with maximum effort.”
“I like the word mentor. I don’t want to judge someone. I love mentoring young girls. I like sharing my knowledge with my girls, and anything they ask me I’ll try to do to help them. I’ve always been like that.”
“In charity, every little bit works. You can’t change the world. You can’t do everything. But you sure try to bring awareness and do as much as you can.”
“I don’t think I was born beautiful. I just think I was born me.”
“I like to work. It helps if you like what you do. I understand when people complain about their work – they do what they do so they can make a living and take care of their families. So I am grateful to be doing something that I like.”
“I’ve been at the top of the modeling industry for more than 20 years. I know what it takes.”
“I’m not following a trend, I never have. I feel like I take risks and I trust people who I work with in a creative sense. I still find it as exciting today as I did with the day I started. It inspired me to always want to challenge myself, and do something different.”
“I don’t forget what people do. No matter how many years go by, I always remember.”
“I don’t get depressed. When I feel an attack, I withdraw. I disappear, I replenish, and then I come back.”
“When things happen, I just kind of want to move away from them for a while and hope that things will come back in a more positive light.”
“I do believe that it’s a healthy mind as well as a healthy body that keeps me fit, sound and calm.”
“I travel the world; I keep fitness in my lifestyle everyday. Wellness and well-being is something that’s very important to me. You can work really hard and push yourself to your limit. I’m someone who likes to be busy and always moving, but I’m learning to be still; it’s so, so simple, but it’s hard.”
“The chocolate and crisps come in at times. You have to allow the little things that make you happy.”
“I live my life day by day, and that’s how I continue to live it.”
“I don’t worry about a number. I’m fine with aging.”
“I have no regrets. I’ve got my health.”
“I like the men to wear the pants. I don’t want to wear the pants. I like men who know what they want, know what they’re doing, make their own decisions. As much as I like to be the controller, it’s not in my best interest.”
“Recovery is a positive thing. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. When you know you need help, and seek help, you need that time to deal with it. Get used to that new discipline. Tell when you are ready to tell. There’s no shame.”
“You have to know when it’s time to take time out for you. I’ve burnt myself out many times, and I had to pull back and take care of myself. It really does boil down to balance. How much you can push yourself, and when you have to pull back and rest.”
“Am I bossy? Absolutely. I don’t like to lose, and if I’m told no, then I find another way to get my yes.”
“I’m determined, and I’m passionate and driven about whatever I commit myself to do. If I don’t know something, I’m going to ask, and I’ve got no problems in asking questions. I never have.”
“Nothing’s ever come easy to me and nothing ever will and that’s okay. I’m used to that. I go with the challenges.”
“I was always told to avoid being famous just for being famous. That’s something that has always stuck in my mind. I like to work. It helps if you like what you do.”
“I make a lot of money and I’m worth every cent.”
“I’m happy with the way I did my career, I wouldn’t change it in a million years. I got to do the real grafting and learning from real models when I was younger.”
“I was brought up with a very broad mind. I am a woman of color and I will always be proud of that. I also know that I will always have to go that extra 10 miles. I’m okay with that. I’m okay with doing the extra 10 miles. I didn’t expect to go on this journey, or to still be on this journey, in the same business. It’s as much of a surprise to me as it is to anyone else. My whole career is a challenge. I’m a challenge.”
“I’m trying to do better. I admit to my mistakes. I admit to the things that I’ve done wrong. But I’m trying to do right by myself and my life now.”
“I just want to be quiet. I just want to live my life.”
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