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" People called me 'Iman the black model'. In my country, we're all black, so nobody called somebody else black. It was foreign to my ears. "

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" I have no intention of ever writing beauty tips on how to make an African-American nose look slimmer or Asian eyes look bigger. That's degrading. Asian eyes are what's beautiful about you and what makes you different. "

" Italian was my first foreign language. I speak it better than English. "

" I didn't start exercising until the end of my modeling career. When you're young, you eat and drink what you want and stay up all night and still look good. "

" Change makes you find your calling, your legacy, and God's divine plan for your life. Don't run from it. "

" I was not considered beautiful at all. Really. And this is what all models say. But I'm still not considered that beautiful in my country. I don't know the beauty ideal where I come from - but it's not me. "

" I beg you, don't use the verb, 'discover', I hate it. What does it mean, that I didn't exist before? "

" My mother was an activist; so was my father. They came from a generation of young Somalis who were actively involved in getting independence for Somalia in 1960. "

" The women I gravitate to are the ones who defy convention and reinvent themselves - hence, they reinvent the world around them. "

" I arrive in New York on October 15, 1975. On my own, by the way. "

" I am the face of a refugee. I was once a refugee. I was with my family in exile. "

" I'll be truly happy when we're not counting the number of ethnically diverse models on a fashion runway or campaign, when having a representation of the entire human race is the norm and not an exception. "

" We are very private, so we decided from early on that we will keep the press and editors and everybody out of our house. "

" I suffer from low self-esteem. I had horrible self-esteem growing up. You really have to save yourself because the critic within you will eat you up. It's not the outside world - it's your interior life, that critic within you, that you have to silence. "

" The day you settle for less is the day you will get less. "

" There are some people who have helped to advance me and other girls, but the fashion industry is always behind popular culture. They think they understand the zeitgeist. They don't know anything about the zeitgeist. "

" I've always said if what I'm going to create doesn't look good on everybody, I'm not going to do it. "

" The difference between rearing a child in your 20s and one in your 50s is one of patience. "

" After the bones mended, my left eye was smaller than my right, and my eyebrow never grew back. But you know what? Big deal. I think I became beautiful after the accident. I became kinder, more aware. I gained respect for other people. "

" I was studying political science; I was adamant that I was going to follow in my father's footsteps. "

" Looking good is a commitment to yourself and to others. Wigs, killer heels, Pilates, even fillers - whatever works for you, honey. "

" I don't do anything by myself. I have a whole crew to get me ready every day. "

" Modeling gave me so many experiences, like traveling and being exposed to global cultures, but the most valuable lesson has been working with designers who truly are visionaries in their field. "

" I wanted a bronzer so I could look like I just came from Ibiza everyday. "

" At the end of the day, a 34B doesn't give you self-esteem. "

" I tell all my younger friends, 'Don't be afraid of change. That is when you truly see what your destiny is.' "

" As I always said: I fell in with David Jones. I did not fall in love with David Bowie. "

" We never wore burkas because Somalis had our own culture. "

" The truth was I felt ugly growing up. I only really started feeling comfortable in myself when I was 40. "

" I don't love eating meat. I really only like chicken and fish. "

" I speak five languages besides mine. I went to school in Egypt because girls weren't allowed to go to school in Saudi Arabia. It's very restricting, especially for girls; we're not allowed to go anywhere. "