I sometimes think I was born to live up to my name. How could I be anything else but what I am having been named Madonna? I would either have ended up a nun or this.
I get strength from my art – all the paintings I own are powerful.
I always thought I should be treated like a star.
In my coming-of-age time, there was no internet, no social networking, nothing. It was just show after show, hoping one day somebody would notice you.
Catholicism is not a soothing religion. It’s a painful religion. We’re all gluttons for punishment.
If I was a girl again, I would like to be like my fans, I would like to be like Madonna.
I’m ambitious. But if I weren’t as talented as I am ambitious, I would be a gross monstrosity.
I’m not interested in being Wonder Woman in the delivery room. Give me drugs.
I believe what I practice has to do with something deeper than religion, that it embodies all religions, including Judaism. And Christianity. And Islam.
If any of you have seen my shows, you know that I don’t skimp on them and the same is true for the gym. We spend what it takes to make a globally first-class gym.
I was more of a dancing kid than a singing kid. I mean, I sang in school choirs and I sang in school musicals, but I was much more interested in dancing than singing.
I think in the end, when you’re famous, people like to narrow you down to a few personality traits. I think I’ve just become this ambitious, say-whatever’s-on-her-mind, intimidating person. And that’s part of my personality, but it’s certainly not anywhere near the whole thing.
I guess some people are brilliant enough to be brilliant on their own and never doubt anything and come up with fabulous things. But I think it’s good to get into arguments with people and have them say, ‘That sucks’ or ‘You’re crazy’ or ‘That’s cheesy’ or ‘What do you think of this?’
Sometimes you want to go for a walk and you don’t want to be watched. You just want to be anonymous and blend in. Especially when I travel, I feel that way, because I can’t really go out and see a city the way other people can and I miss out on a lot.
On the one hand, the idea of marriage and the sort of traditional family life repulses me. But on the other hand, I long for it, you know what I mean? I’m constantly in conflict with things. And it is because of my past and my upbringing and the journey that I’ve been on.
Younger people are generally more adventurous – they’re more open, more fun – have you met many guys my age? Guys my age are married or divorced or grumpy, fat and balding.
But I love the idea – whether it’s in my work or where I live – exploring new frontier, and I like putting myself in strange places and trying to survive and figure things out and gather up an infrastructure. I like knowing that I could figure out a way to live anywhere.
I don’t affiliate myself with any specific religious group. I connect to different ritualistic aspects of different belief systems, and I see the connecting thread between all religious beliefs.
Things were a lot simpler in Detroit. I didn’t care about anything but boyfriends.
Prince Charles is very relaxed at the table, throwing his salad around willy-nilly. I didn’t find him stiff at all.