Diana Ross Quotations

If I have someone who believes in me, I can move mountains.

People don't know about the human part of me that really cares about the world. For instance, I don't know what I feel about wearing my furs anymore. I worked so hard to have a fur coat, and I don't want to wear it anymore because I'm so wrapped up in the animals. I have real deep thoughts about it because I care about the world and nature.

My travels led me to where I am today. Sometimes these steps have felt painful, difficult, but led me to greater happiness and opportunities.

You know, you do need mentors, but in the end, you really just need to believe in yourself.

Instead of looking at the past, I put myself ahead twenty years and try to look at what I need to do now in order to get there then.

You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself.

I want an autobiography without revealing any personal information.

It's the first time I have returned to my roots - like going back to be a trio. The fans really wanted me to go back on stage and do the Supremes music, so I went about trying to make it happen. We'll go on tour in the summer.

They tell me that it will be hard to find a man strong enough to love my own strength and independence, and not worry about being Mr. Diana Ross, but I disagree. I know absolutely that that man is somewhere out there.

It has always been, and still is, my intention to build a playground in Central Park.

I'm not really a songwriter - I'm an interpreter. So in a sense I am an actress first and foremost. I act out the songs, and I lead with my heart.

My life has often been described as 'from rags to riches,' but in fact, the Rosses were never raggedy.

I don't judge people by their sexual orientation or the color of their skin, so I find it really hard to identify someone by saying that they're a gay person or a black person or a Jewish person.

I even thought of adopting a child as a single mother.

It takes a long time to get to be a diva. I mean, you gotta work at it.

I don't have to sit around and wait for the next movie to come along, I can go out and sing.

So I'm not worried about the emotions I carry with me, because I'm happy that I have them; I think it's good for the work I do. The emotions that are not healthy are the ones you hold inside, like anger.

When we first began, we didn't have any hits.

The first time I heard a Billie Holiday record, I thought, 'What's so great about Billie Holiday?'

I was looking at making a shift in my career. I've been so blessed I'd like to be able to give that back. If I could find young artists, young performers I can nurture to have a career I would really like that.

I keep a great organiser, I try to keep my priorities in the right place.

Criticism, even when you try to ignore it, can hurt. I have cried over many articles written about me, but I move on and I don't hold on to that.

I don't think getting in and out of a limousine has anything to do with being an icon.

I was brought up in this part of Detroit that they used to call the ghetto.

I learned something from that. If someone asks me something that I really don't want to do, I say no. I have to trust that. And I'm not afraid to talk money.

Icon. What is an icon? When someone is iconic it means they have established a certain kind of legacy possibly, and I think it does come with time. It's something in the arts, I feel. Maybe not, maybe it doesn't have to be in the arts exactly. I'm not really sure. But I don't think you are born an icon.

My father worked hard, but we were still very poor; and I didn't want anybody arguing about money, so I became the entertainer, the one who wanted everyone to be happy. I didn't want there to be any problems.

I just appreciate still having the longevity that I've had in my career.

My children come first and the career comes in around that.

I have never gotten into the label thing.

I know that my fans want to know who I'm sleeping with, but it's really none of their business.

If I'm with a man I'm soft and buttery.

With the Supremes I made so much money so fast all I wanted to do was buy clothes and pretty things. Now I'm comfortable with money and it's comfortable with me.

I majored in fashion design in school, and I have always wanted to design my own line of clothing, jewelry, and stuff like that; so this was just a step for me in that direction.

I think a responsibility comes with notoriety, but I never think of it as power. It's more like something you hold, like grains of sand. If you keep your hand closed, you can have it and possess it, but if you open your fingers in any way, you can lose it just as quickly.

I'd traveled a lot, was going temporarily insane and became very successful, but there was no one to take that all home to.

Being a parent is very important to me.

I listen to most everything that's out there because I need to stay aware of what's happening in the industry.

I look forward to the future - and going into the studio to make new music.

I think that if my voice for some reason changes - because your voice does change - then it's time for me not to sing.

My family called me a wiggle tail because I was a little skinny, wiry kid full of energy.

I have three girls, and I say the same thing to them. I'm not involved in their careers because I've learned that it's important for them to stand on their own two feet. They'll feel better and prouder of themselves if they do.

I try to choose the songs that really are basically coming from my heart. I think that through the songs that I select, people know what's going on in my life.

I'm a parent, and I try to take care of my health and keep my life in order. In the last few years I've really had to decide what's important to me, and it seems to me that my family and my health are top on the list. And those have nothing to do with show business.

Years ago I wanted to buy an apartment in New York City. I was a single female - I had gone through my divorce - I had three children, I was in show business and black. It was, like, impossible.

Discipline is a necessary tool to help you get what you want in life. It forces you to stay on center and to move away from the things that are not necessary.

I don't like to have too many makeup artists around, so I always like to do my own.

I am in prayer for his kids and the family.

My life has often been described as 'from rags to riches' but in fact, the Ross's were never raggedy.

A reporter once asked me if I ever cried. I wonder if people think I'm just as hard as a rock and have no emotions at all.

Hair has always been important.

I don't know what I feel about wearing my furs anymore. I worked so hard to have a fur coat, and I don't want to wear it anymore because I'm so wrapped up in the animals. I have real deep thoughts about it because I care about the world and nature.

Do you know where you going to? Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to? Do you know?

Either black people end up being the best in sports, or else it's show business. You know, we all got rhythm.

You can always tell where Diana Ross has been by the hair that's left behind!

One thing you cannot control is nature.

If we hold on together I know our dreams will never die Dreams see us through to forever Where clouds roll by For you and I

I can be a better me than anyone can.

Take a little time out of your busy day to give encouragement to someone who's lost their way.

I really, deeply believe that dreams do come true. Often, they might not come when you want them. They come in their own time.

Most people are so hard to please that if they met God, they'd probably say yes, she's great, but ...

He is in a stable condition, which is an indication that he is recovering well.

I think the album really is about -- it's a reflection of where I am and (where) I've been for the last year or so in my life. I choose my songs that way because I become the lyric. I mean, I live the songs before I record them.

Just because I have my standards they think I'm a bitch.

Well, even though she had six kids, my mother really believed I could achieve whatever I set out to do. Maybe it was my vitality or something.

I've spent a lot of time on makeup in my life because I'm always in front of the mirror, getting ready for shows and performances.

... a little more than six years since Diana Ross has appeared on a Billboard singles chart.

It's the first time I have returned to my roots -- like going back to be a trio, ... The fans really wanted me to go back on stage and do the Supremes music, so I went about trying to make it happen. We'll go on tour in the summer.

But I just feel like I'm using whatever emotions I have when I'm singing or performing, and that's not a bad thing - as long as I am mindful of them.