12 Gloria Estefan Quotes on Resilience

Gloria Estefan quotes on resilience

18. Always. Difficulties happen and you get through them. When I say 'no llores,' it doesn't just mean literally crying; it means looking at the bad things in your life rather than the positive. I always think of Celia Cruz as an inspiration. So many times I saw her backstage and her knee was killing her and I had to help her up the steps, but she would step on that stage and nobody knew that she was hurting.

19. I'm in great shape considering I have hardware in my back. I work out constantly to keep my muscles limber and my abs strong so they can take the burnt of everything.

102. [While her father was a political prisoner in Cuba] I was always singing and dancing and reciting poems -- that was how I used to do my crying over my father. There were a lot of negotiations between the US and Cuban governments over the next couple of years [1961 - 1963]. [Castro proposed an exchange of prisoners for food, medicine and building machinery], and eventually my dad was released. It was wonderful to have him home -- it was probably the happiest time in my life. For once, the whole family was together, living a normal life. That was when my sister, Becky, was born [1964], and it was also when I started guitar lessons. I would lock myself away in my room for days, learning how to play. Even then I was beginning to work out that music was a way to cut throught all the BS.

127. For I've finally realized, that I could be infinitely better than before, definitely stronger. I'll face whatever comes my way, I'll savor each moment of the day, Love as many people as I can along the way. Help someone who's given up, even if it's just to raise my eyes and pray.

128. Sometimes one bad decision can mess up your life. We seal our fate with the choices we make. But don't give a second thought to the chances we take... Surely, you say, it's not as bad as you make it sound. If we make a mistake, you can always turn it back around. Get back on the straight and narrow -- When I'm through having all my fun . . . We seal our fate with the choices we make . . .

150. And, because of the life that I shared with these two amazing women [her mother and maternal grandmother] and the hardships and struggles that I saw them overcome, I learned an invaluable lesson: and that is that women can do anything we set our minds to . . . and then some!

171. I spent my childhood alone, overweight and ugly, angry at everything, and knowing nothing of a life beyond this sadness.

173. [After the 1990 bus accident] I could not feel my legs, and I knew that I was paralysed. For me, this was a premonition of my worst fate proved right. When I was a child, I always ran up the stairs two at a time, and when I reached the top I would say to myself, one day I won't be able to do this because like my father I will lose the use of my body. Now I knew it had happened. For months afterwards I was locked back in myself, just as I had been when I was a child. But also part of my premonition had always been, strangely, that I would lose my body but in the end it would be all right.

174. I have had a life in which I have had to face every big fear, and it has not been pleasant.

176. [After a poor prognosis for recovery from her doctor following her 1990 bus accident] I said if it is up to me, I'm going to be OK.

202. To me, humor is one of the most important things in my life; it has helped me through some very rough points. My humor can sometimes be irreverent, but every moment it has been there with me, even through the darkest moments. I think it helps us to not take ourselves too seriously. There is just too much to celebrate and too much to be grateful for.

209. Many people didn't realize it at the time [of the bus accident], but Emilio didn't know if he could handle something as emotional as that. Men are often very goal-oriented and problem-solving, even in their emotional life. My husband could have turned and run the other way, and I'm sure that many have done that. But Emilio became so supportive, I couldn't have asked for more love and support. I really would not have been the same without him. It deepened our relationship beyond what words can describe, because we lived through a very tough experience together.