Win or lose, we go shopping after the election.
Imelda Marcos
I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes, I had one thousand and sixty.
People say I'm extravagant because I want to be surrounded by beauty. But tell me, who wants to be surrounded by garbage?
Filipinos want beauty. I have to look beautiful so that the poor Filipinos will have a star to look at from their slums.
They went into my closets looking for skeletons, but thank God, all they found were shoes, beautiful shoes.
Life is not a matter of place, things or comfort; rather, it concerns the basic human rights of family, country, justice and human dignity.
You know, not even your British Queen is called just Elizabeth - she's Elizabeth the Second. There's only one Imelda.
My dreams were always small and puny. All I ever needed was a little house with a little picket fence by the sea. Little did I know that I would live in Malacanang Palace for 20 years and visit all the major palaces of mankind. And then also meet ordinary citizens and the leaders of superpowers.
Continuous persecution of widows and orphans is a crime. Even the Bible says there is a specific place in hell for those who oppress widows.
The Marcos era was the golden time for the Philippines. We had the lowest crime rate in the world in Manila and real development then. At last, people are starting to understand this.
Doesn't the fight for survival also justify swindle and theft? In self defence, anything goes.
The Philippines is a terrible name, coming from Spain. Phillip II was the father of the inquisition, who I believe died of syphilis. It is my great regret that we didn't change the name of our country.
It is shallow people who think beauty is frivolous or excessive. If you are bringing beauty and god, you are enriching the country. Rice feeds the body, books feed the mind, beauty feeds the soul. It is one thing I can really be proud of and stand tall in the world.
I love everybody. One of the great things about me is that I have a very positive attitude.
The only rich person is a person who is rich in spirit. I have no money deposit. I have only beauty deposit.
If you know how much you've got, you probably haven't got much.
My dreams have become puny with the reality my life has become.
It's the rich you can terrorize. The poor have nothing to lose.
If you know how rich you are, you are not rich. But me, I am not aware of the extent of my wealth. That's how rich we are.
We practically own everything in the Philippines.
They call me corrupt, frivolous. I am not at all privileged. Maybe the only privileged thing is my face. And corrupt? God! I would not look like this if I am corrupt. Some ugliness would settle down on my system.
I was no Marie Antoinette. I was not born to nobility, but I had a human right to nobility.
I hardly can sleep. I feel that my target now is really to save Mother Earth for humanity. And it's doable.
I hate ugliness. You know I'm allergic to ugliness.
I have never been a material girl. My father always told me never to love anything that cannot love you back.
When they see me holding fish, they can see that I am comfortable with kings as well as with paupers.
I always say you can never be extravagant with beauty. Beauty is God made real. Beauty is life.
I have a different way of thinking. I think synergistically. I'm not linear in thinking, I'm not very logical.
Never dress down for the poor. They won't respect you for it. They want their First Lady to look like a million dollars.
Filipinos don't wallow in what is miserable and ugly. They recycle the bad into things of beauty.
Ferdinand was a gold trader. He was a lawyer for mining companies. When he entered politics in l949, he had tons and tons of gold. When Bill Gates was a college dropout, Ferdinand already possessed billions of dollars and tons of gold. It wasn't stolen.
They've listed my name in the dictionary - 'Imeldific' is used to mean ostentatious extravagance... But the truth will prevail.
The problem of the world today is the people talk on and on about democracy, freedom, justice. But I don't give a damn about democracy if I am worried about survival.
I am First Lady by accident. I was not elected by the people but here I am.
God is love. I have loved. Therefore, I will go to heaven.
My husband does not like me to give interviews because I say too much. No talk, no trouble.
The problems with First Ladies is that you have to set the standard. My role is to be both star and slave.
I get so tired listening to one million dollars here, one million dollars there, it's so petty.
I really had no great love for shoes. I was a working First Lady; I was always in canvas shoes. I did nurture the shoes industry of the Philippines, and so every time there was a shoe fair, I would receive a pair of shoes as a token of gratitude.
The Reagans were dear friends for many years, even when he was governor of California. Nancy appreciated a lot of Philippine-made things.
I beg Osama to stop warring. He is a Muslim, and Islam means peace. Nobody wins in a war... I wish I were tapped in the problem about Iraq. I knew Saddam enough that I could have talked him into surrendering. But it's too late.
I will come up with a project that will wipe out poverty in the Philippines in two years. I want to remove the people from economic crisis by using the Marcos wealth. Long after I'm gone, people will remember me for building them homes and roads and hospitals and giving them food.
