Jennifer Lopez Quotes

My parents wanted me to be a lawyer. But I don`t think I would have been very happy. I`d be in front of the jury singing.

But from the time I was very little, it was something I would do all the time, just sing, dance and act. So it wasn`t something that was fake or contrived as I got older.

This film certainly is not meant for the girls who sing along with my songs (about The Cell (2000))

When I`m not prepared, which is almost never. -when asked if she ever feels insecure

I thought she`d offer me some sympathy. Instead, she said, `Don`t you ever call me crying again! You wanted to be in this business, so you better toughen up!` And I did. - to Redbook magazine August 1999, on the lesson in tough love she got from her mother.

Nail Polish (upon being asked what she got on her SAT`s)

We`ve all had a love of our life and failed love affairs. I`m just the biggest romantic - it`s really sad. I tell people that, but nobody listens.

Beauty is only skin deep. I think what`s really important is finding a balance of mind, body and spirit. Somebody said to me not too long ago, `Until you`re twenty, you have the face you are born with, and after that you have the face you deserve`, and I really loved that - the idea that you wear who you are on your face.

If you focus on the money, you`re not going to get anywhere. You can want to be successful, but at the end of the day, if money is your motivation, if that`s how shallow your outlook is on life, then you`re going to be such an empty person. Because there`s nothing driving you from the inside -- there`s no passion...

You laugh it off, you get upset for a little while, you`re human and you let it go. - on the "outrageous" tabloid stories she hears about herself, at a press conference to discuss her movie, The Cell (2000) in August 2000

And I deal with all that by being like a perfectionist. But that`s okay.

In every movie they want you to look as thin as you can look. In Selena, it was the other way around: "How can we shoot her butt so it looks like Selena`s?"

The bear is what we all wrestle with. Everybody has their bear in life. It`s about conquering that bear and letting him go.

I swear to God, I don`t remember anything Gwyneth Paltrow was in. Some people get hot by association. I heard more about her and Brad Pitt and I ever heard about her work.

If anyone can figure out how to balance my celebrity and my dual careers in music and film, it`s me. I don`t feel frightened; I feel challenged.

I don`t really check out other people`s butts.

There are certain people that are marked for death. I have my little list of those that treated me unfairly.

And I never ask what I`m doing the next day. I don`t want to know what I`m doing tomorrow. It`s much too overwhelming. So I just go day by day, without knowing.

I don`t get anything for free. I pay for all my beauty treatments.

I think crossroads come at many times during your life. Up to this point, I`ve had several. You get to a certain point in your life and you`re like, Am I supposed to be doing this? And it`s usually in the face of some failure - something that didn`t work out the way you wanted it to. And you`re faced with a decision: Do I keep trying to do this or do I give up?

I only do what my gut tells me to. I think it`s smart to listen to other people`s advice, but at the end of the day, you`re the only one who can tell you what`s right for you.

You have to come in and be that character when you walk into the room. That`s what one of my first acting teachers taught me. You know, don`t go in there being Jennifer and then expect to flip and change, because they`re not going to have that imagination.

I throw myself into love because I believe in it, but when things don`t work you have to take responsibility. You all know things have gone wrong for me. Everybody has laughed, everybody has had a knock at me. It hurts, it always does. There have been times when I didn`t want to be me any more. From the outside looking in, it may have appeared that it was a glamorous exciting life, but I would have swapped places with anybody. It really did start to get to me and the easy thing to do would be to walk away.

You get what you give. What you put into things is what you get out of them.

J. Lo is also an homage to my fans. That`s what fans call me on the streets, and I like it. So giving the album this title is my way of telling them that this is for them, in appreciation of their support.

I have the stardom glow.

Beauty is only skin deep. I think what`s really important is finding a balance of mind, body and spirit.

If you kiss on the first date and it`s not right, then there will be no second date. Sometimes it`s better to hold out and not kiss for a long time. I am a strong believer in kissing being very intimate, and the minute you kiss, the floodgates open for everything else.

I just knew that was what I wanted to do. I was going to perform as a singer; I was going to perform as a dancer, and I was, you know, going to do movies and be an actress. I was going to do it or die trying. That`s what my life was.

I grew up in the Bronx where you would stay up late with your girlfriends, just being silly in our bedrooms, whatever. And I was always the clown.

I`m trying to get the focus back on what I do as an artist, not what I do at home.

I`m not J.Lo, she`s not a real person. She was just a bit of fun that got really crazy. I`ve never been anyone but Jennifer. I was going to call the album Call Me Jennifer because that would be my way of saying goodbye to the whole J.Lo thing. But Rebirth is perfect because it means so much more.

Puffy produced four of the tracks on the album. Those are the four songs that are collaborations between Puffy and me. And he gives me my space to work even when we work together, like with my producer and my vocal coach.

I judge people on how they smell, not how they look.

So I sat down with him and portrayed more the side of the character he needed to see. Which is what I do when I go in for an interview for a part I like. As much as you think you`re dealing with creative people, they see you for what your image is out there.

I was in third grade when Rapper`s Delight changed my life. But, when I came home, my mother would be listening to Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Diana Ross. I want to include all those elements in my music.

I`m very open with my love. I`m passionate and I feel a lot, and I`m never afraid to get close to someone. I`m not afraid of love.

I`ve always had a huge fear of dying or becoming ill. The thing I`m most afraid of, though, is being alone, which I think a lot of performers fear. It`s why we seek the limelight - so we`re not alone, were adored. Were loved, so people want to be around us. The fear of being alone drives my life.

It used to bother me being portrayed as this bitchy person, but now I feel that the public understands me better than some writer. There are people who know who I really am, and that`s good enough for me.

I could serve coffee using my rear as a ledge.

It`s a shame to call somebody a `diva` simply because they work harder than everybody else.

As an artist, I don`t think I`ll ever feel totally satisfied. Maybe one day I will. But right now that`s not the feeling I have.

People equate sexy with promiscuous. They think that because I`m shaped this way, I must be scandalous - like running around and bringing men into my hotel room. But it`s just the opposite.

I feel I want to grow as an actress and be better. I want to progress as a singer and songwriter, and produce movies and everything. So there`ll be no time when I feel I`ve done it all.

I`m not mad about my ankles - they`re too skinny.

I loved the last album, and it was one hundred percent me. But this is like me two years later, who understands a little bit more about music and understands a little bit more about making an album. I wrote a lot more.

I didn`t expect it to happen like this, wrapping one film and flying out to do a new one the next day. But I`m fresh enough and ambitious enough to stay up all night for the sake of a job. I`m not gonna take it easy. I want to do so much more when I`m getting these great opportunities.

You know, maybe I was just born in the wrong time, but I love all things romantic. Puffy understands that. For my last birthday, he covered my hotel room floor with rose petals and had flowers and candles all over the room.

It was all a bit mad. For a girl like me, wearing gorgeous clothes and having all this attention was amazing. It was like being a princess. But it didn`t take me long to realise that that sort of fame can be scary. The more the circus builds up around you, the more you start to lose all those intentions that get you there in the first place. I was always about being a good performer and working hard, doing movies, making music, but that started to get lost in all that crazy stuff.

My mom always told me that if you work hard, you can achieve anything. And it`s true. It`s one of the truest things ever.

In Hollywood, she`s revered, she gets nominated for Oscars, but I`ve never heard anyone in the public or among my friends say, `Oh, I love Winona Ryder.`

I`d be stupid not to take into consideration that there are certain things people will not consider me for because my name is Lopez. And I know I can do any kind of role. I don`t want anybody to say, Oh, she can`t pull this off. So those are barriers that you have to overcome.

You can`t take life for granted.

I was always a singer and a dancer, and I always wanted to be an actress. For me, it`s all just one thing.

I can only speak for myself, and hope people hear my words and see me on television speaking for myself. And, hopefully, they`ll be able to make their own judgment. And at the end of the day, I just want my work to speak for itself.

People assume I`m out there having this great life, but money doesn`t erase the pain. When you`re young you barrel through life, making choices without thinking of repercussions. A few years down the line, you wake up in a certain place and wonder how the hell you got there.

This is the man my mother lived for. My career means something now because I`ve worked with Robert Redford.

And I love the idea of spending the whole day in bed with my lover.

They`re making me out to be a serial marrying person or something. I`m laughing at that.

And I deal with all that by being like a perfectionist. But that's okay.

And I love the idea of spending the whole day in bed with my lover.

And I never ask what I'm doing the next day. I don't want to know what I'm doing tomorrow. It's much too overwhelming. So I just go day by day, without knowing.

Beauty is only skin deep. I think what's really important is finding a balance of mind, body and spirit.

But from the time I was very little, it was something I would do all the time, just sing, dance and act. So it wasn't something that was fake or contrived as I got older.

I can only speak for myself, and hope people hear my words and see me on television speaking for myself. And, hopefully, they'll be able to make their own judgment. And at the end of the day, I just want my work to speak for itself.

I could serve coffee using my rear as a ledge.

I don't get anything for free. I pay for all my beauty treatments.

I feel I want to grow as an actress and be better. I want to progress as a singer and songwriter, and produce movies and everything. So there'll be no time when I feel I've done it all.

I grew up in the Bronx where you would stay up late with your girlfriends, just being silly in our bedrooms, whatever. And I was always the clown.

I have the stardom glow.

I judge people on how they smell, not how they look.

I swear to God, I don't remember anything Gwyneth Paltrow was in. Some people get hot by association. I heard more about her and Brad Pitt and I ever heard about her work.

I was always a singer and a dancer, and I always wanted to be an actress. For me, it's all just one thing.

I'd be stupid not to take into consideration that there are certain things people will not consider me for because my name is Lopez. And I know I can do any kind of role. I don't want anybody to say, Oh, she can't pull this off. So those are barriers that you have to overcome.

If anyone can figure out how to balance my celebrity and my dual careers in music and film, it's me. I don't feel frightened; I feel challenged.

If you kiss on the first date and it's not right, then there will be no second date. Sometimes it's better to hold out and not kiss for a long time. I am a strong believer in kissing being very intimate, and the minute you kiss, the floodgates open for everything else.

In Hollywood, she's revered, she gets nominated for Oscars, but I've never heard anyone in the public or among my friends say, 'Oh, I love Winona Ryder.'

It used to bother me being portrayed as this bitchy person, but now I feel that the public understands me better than some writer. There are people who know who I really am, and that's good enough for me.

It's a shame to call somebody a 'diva' simply because they work harder than everybody else.

J. Lo is also an homage to my fans. That's what fans call me on the streets, and I like it. So giving the album this title is my way of telling them that this is for them, in appreciation of their support.

My parents wanted me to be a lawyer. But I don't think I would have been very happy. I'd be in front of the jury singing.

People assume I'm out there having this great life, but money doesn't erase the pain. When you're young you barrel through life, making choices without thinking of repercussions. A few years down the line, you wake up in a certain place and wonder how the hell you got there.

People equate sexy with promiscuous. They think that because I'm shaped this way, I must be scandalous - like running around and bringing men into my hotel room. But it's just the opposite.

So I sat down with him and portrayed more the side of the character he needed to see. Which is what I do when I go in for an interview for a part I like. As much as you think you're dealing with creative people, they see you for what your image is out there.

The bear is what we all wrestle with. Everybody has their bear in life. It's about conquering that bear and letting him go.

There are certain people that are marked for death. I have my little list of those that treated me unfairly.

They're making me out to be a serial marrying person or something. I'm laughing at that.

This is the man my mother lived for. My career means something now because I've worked with Robert Redford.

You can't take life for granted.

You get what you give. What you put into things is what you get out of them.

You have to come in and be that character when you walk into the room. That's what one of my first acting teachers taught me. You know, don't go in there being Jennifer and then expect to flip and change, because they're not going to have that imagination.