Natalia Vodianova
“I have done it. I have everything I want. I have made enough money to secure my family and that is all I care about.”
“Success comes from happiness.”
“My mother – a single mum with three children – was almost too kind to other people, so nobody really got to understand her. Unless you have vanity, it’s very challenging for a woman to love herself.”
“I come from a background where opportunities don’t come easily, so I lack the confidence of an achiever. I feel a constant need to prove myself.”
“Working on a fruit stall in Russia taught me how to experience physical pain. It’s nothing compared with emotional pain, because it’s controllable. I found childbirth a beautiful, natural pain; it’s part of a woman’s personal evolution.”
“Living with my invalid sister was like living with a grown-up baby, and the feeling of rejection from my community almost killed me. But that pain is very cleansing – if you make one small, positive step, you see new roads.”
“Russians are very straightforward – we speak with our emotions. I used to fight everything, but the English way is much better – it saves your nerves.”
“Men don’t discuss their problems. That’s what keeps them manly and perfect.”
“I find it hard to enjoy being alone to appreciate the stillness of life. Maybe it’s a fear of abandonment – I grew up in a small place surrounded by people, but also missing a father figure.”
“I get unhappy if I don’t go for a walk. Getting everything in my body moving clears the head. It’s part of human existence to be on the move.”
“Hard work is my etiquette in life. I will never just sit around and do nothing.”