Home / Authors / Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek Quotes

Film actress

Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress, director, producer, and activist, born on September 2, 1966. She is renowned for her exceptional performances in films such as 'Frida' and 'The Love Letter'. Hayek is celebrated for her contributions to gender equality and Latin American culture.

Filter quotes by topic

All Ifs Thinking People Knows Want Mother World Children Looks Believe

Famous Salma Hayek Quotes

“They thought I was crazy in Mexico when I said, 'I'm going to Hollywood.' Nobody thought I could make it.”

Said Crazy Hollywood Mexico

Author:Salma Hayek

“What once was an expression of who I was - acting - also became my hiding place.”

Acting Expression Hiding Hiding Place

Author:Salma Hayek

“When I feel stressed, I turn to food for comfort, but I don't like to diet and I'm not good at it.”

Feels Turns Comfort Diets Stressed

Author:Salma Hayek

“I think it's important that kids have responsibilities and understand the value of things, but I think it's great I get to travel the world with my daughter.”

Thinking World Important Kids Mother Values Responsibility Travel Daughter My Daughter Travel The World

Author:Salma Hayek

“When it is important for you to say something and you find a vehicle to say it, then go for it. It is so rare when that happens so I think every minute spent fighting for it is always worth it. Even if nothing ends up happening, it's still worth the fight.”

Ifs Thinking Stills Important Ends Happens Fighting Minutes Happenings Vehicle Worth It

Author:Salma Hayek

“For my wrap present, Colin Farrell gave me a first edition book. I got so involved with this character and I was so sad when the movie was over that when I got home and I tried to read the book I got really emotional and I started crying.”

Firsts Book Character Home Actors Cry Emotional Involved Movie Wraps So Sad

Author:Salma Hayek

“So you have to keep waiting and then they give you the script and it's terrible. Then you have to go to the rewrite and they're very upset because you didn't like it. I went through that for seven years.”

Giving Years Waiting Terrible Seven Scripts Upset Seven Years

Author:Salma Hayek

“You can have a spiritual awakening and discover a new side of you at any age. And best of all, love can happen at any age. Life can just start to get exciting when you're in your 40s and 50s. You have to believe that.”

Believe Happens Age Spiritual Sides Exciting Awakening Birthday Spiritual Awakening 60th Birthday Age Life

Author:Salma Hayek

“After doing a juice cleanse, I'm motivated to eat healthier and not emotionally. Cleansing is like my meditation. It makes me stop, focus and think about what I'm putting into my body. I'm making a commitment to my health and hitting the reset button.”

Thinking Body Focus Meditation Commitment Motivated Hitting Buttons Juice Cleansing Reset Reset Button

Author:Salma Hayek

“Art and activism seem to go together naturally, the idea being that if you're an entertainer, you can have a voice, and if you have a voice, you can make a difference. But if I were not an actress, I would still try to extend myself beyond my little micro-universe of my job, family and personal joy.”

Ifs Trying Littles Art Stills Ideas Seems Together Jobs Joy Universe Voice Differences Actresses Activism Making A Difference Entertainers You Can Make A Difference

Author:Salma Hayek

“Being a mother is more exhausting than working, and sometimes I push myself too hard and burn myself out. I can appreciate how exhausting it must be for women who have to do everything themselves all the time.”

I Can Sometimes Hard Mother Appreciate Exhausting Being A Mother

Author:Salma Hayek

“Botox, trust me I've been tempted - but I resist! Think about what happens to your muscles - and your skin - if you're sick and don't move for a few days.”

Ifs Thinking Looks Doe Happens Faces Moving Skins Sick Muscles Plus Your Face Tempted Trust Me Freeze Botox Atrophy

Author:Salma Hayek

“Do I envy Madonna’s body? Yes. Do I thank God that she has it? Yes! If you’re fifty-something and you look like Madonna, and you put a lifetime’s work in the way you look, then flash it to the world!”

Ifs World Way Looks Body Lifetime Envy Fifty Thank God Flash

Author:Salma Hayek

“Find your own style. Don't spend your savings trying to be someone else. You're not more important, smarter, or prettier because you wear a designer dress.”

Trying Important Style Dresses Saving Designer Smarter Savings

Author:Salma Hayek

“For me, I have to say that I like to work a lot too, but I like not working better. The perfect scenario is when you just worked and you know something's coming up, then you have four, five, six months off. But you know you're going to have a job later.”

Knows Jobs Perfect Five Four Months Six Six Months Scenarios

Author:Salma Hayek

“'Frida' was a joy; this was delicious, I couldn't wait every day to get to the set, although I was exhausted, and have my leg get cut off or lose the baby or be in her shoes and get to play my hero and be able to go places emotionally. You know, we live for parts like this. This is a dream for an actor.”

Knows Play Dream Able Joy Actors Waiting Loses Cutting Baby Hero Shoes Legs Exhausted Delicious My Hero Frida

Author:Salma Hayek

“Hollywood has definitely grown, in embracing the inclusion of Latinos in the world, because, for some time, we didn't exist. We were not part of any stories.”

World Stories Hollywood Inclusion Latino

Author:Salma Hayek

“I also have a film coming up called Breaking Up, and my part in that was not written for a Latina, and my character is not particularly pretty or sexy or exotic.”

Character Film Written Sexy Break Up Exotic Latina Breaking Promises

Author:Salma Hayek

“I am so, so lucky. I am the luckiest girl in the world, really. And still with access to everything I could possibly want I still say 'Oh dear, what am I going to wear today?' There's no ending to that question!”

World Want Stills Today Girl Lucky Dear Access So Lucky Luckiest Girl Luckiest Girl In The World

Author:Salma Hayek

“I believe eating well, and with people you love, is about feeding your body, heart, and soul - I used juicing to ensure I covered my nutritional bases every day, and as a tool to restore inner balance if my body needed a break from too much indulgence.”

Source: The Juice Generation: 100 Recipes for Fresh Juices and Superfood Smoothies

“I didn't think marriage worked. I thought everybody who was married was secretly miserable - that it was something they just put up with for their children.”

Thinking Children Married Miserable

Author:Salma Hayek

“I don't believe in the so-called Latino explosion when it comes to movies. Jennifer Lopez doesn't have an accent. She grew up in New York speaking English, not Spanish. Her success is very important because she represents a different culture, but it doesn't help me.”

Believe Important Different Helping Culture New York Grew Grew Up Don't Believe Help Me Accents Explosions Latino Different Cultures Jennifer

Author:Salma Hayek

“I grew up in Mexico, not the U.S., and the fact is that there just aren't any parts for Latin actresses. I have to persuade people that my accent won't be a problem, but an asset.”

People Facts Problem Grew Grew Up Actresses Latin Assets Mexico Accents

Author:Salma Hayek

“I have one friend that I've had since I was born, and she's from Coatzacoalcos. She's not really impressed or interested in the actor's life. My family isn't really either.”

Actors Born My Family Impressed One Friend

Author:Salma Hayek

“I love family films. Of course, as a mother who has to watch so many movies, you really appreciate it when somebody makes a film that is for everybody - family entertainment that's really for the family, where everyone has a good time.”

Film Mother Courses Watches Appreciate Entertainment Good Times Having A Good Time Family Love

Author:Salma Hayek

“I love to cook when I have the time. I don't cook French or Mexican food with exact recipes. I just go to the supermarket and buy things that look good, and I mix it all together and invent something. Ninety-five percent of the time, I'm lucky. Sometimes not so lucky, and I say, 'Let's go out to dinner.'”

Looks Sometimes Together Five Lucky Percent Dinner Cooks Recipes Ninety Mexican Supermarkets So Lucky Mexican Food

Author:Salma Hayek

“I really do love Diana Ross; I grew up listening to her records. I grew up in a little town in Mexico, so while we got the music, we never got the experience of watching her.”

Littles Records Listening Grew Grew Up Towns Mexico Diana Little Towns

Author:Salma Hayek

“I received so many hate letters when I breast-fed a starving baby in Africa. I was in Sierra Leone in 2009 and I was weaning my child at that time - she was not there with me. There was a hungry baby who was crying because his mother had no milk, and I thought, 'Why throw away my milk if I can give it to a baby who needs it?'”

Ifs Needs Giving Children I Can Mother Hate Cry Baby Letters Hungry My Children Breasts Feds Milk Starving Sierra Sierra Leone Weaning

Author:Salma Hayek

“I said, 'I'm going to the United States to study with Stella Adler and do movies because nobody here has done it and my passion is films.' But I came here and I didn't speak English, I didn't have a green card, I didn't know I had to have an agent, I couldn't drive, I was dyslexic.”

Knows Said States Done Film Passion Speak United United States Study Green Cards Agents My Passion Speak English Dyslexic Stella Green Card Adler

Author:Salma Hayek

“I think it's not a femme fatale when someone is not doing it to manipulate men or be like a black widow. She loves him. She does it out of love. She wants him so badly to stay with her.”

Thinking Men Want Doe Black Manipulate Widows Want Him Femme Femme Fatale Black Widow

Author:Salma Hayek

“I think that it's important for every single person, no matter what they do in life, to participate in the well-being of humanity and the planet. Don't let a year go by knowing you didn't make an effort to do something - no matter how small - outside your own problems and drama.”

Thinking Years Wells Persons Important Matter Problem Humanity Effort Knowing Planets Drama No Matter What Well Being Single Person

Author:Salma Hayek

“I want my little girl to tell me who she is so I can encourage her and not impose my desires for her on her life. I want her to dream big and to know that if she is willing to earn it, she can have anything - and become anything.”

Ifs Knows Want Littles I Can Dream Bigs Desire Girl Willing

Author:Salma Hayek

“I want to work for a long, long time and keep growing in my work, and if I am very lucky and very blessed, maybe somewhere along the line there will be one movie in there that becomes a classic.”

Ifs Want Long Lines Growing Lucky Long Time Blessed Classic

Author:Salma Hayek

“I was privileged to grow up in Mexico at a time when you could play in the streets. We lived not too far from the ocean, and we would be outside all the time with the neighbours' kids, running free. What better place could there be for a child?”

Children Play Would Be Running Kids Grows Growing Up Streets Ocean Mexico Privileged Better Place Neighbour Running Free

Author:Salma Hayek

“I will not have Botox. You know why? Because I eat! I eat the fat, I eat the vegetable, I eat everything. If you exercise and you don't eat enough, it takes its toll on the skin.”

Ifs Knows Enough Exercise Skins Fats Vegetables Tolls Botox

Author:Salma Hayek

“If you love food and you love red wine and they put you in France, you’re in a good place and you’re in a bad place at the same time. You have to weigh yourself every day, and you have to have an alarm number. When you get to that number, you have to start putting it in reverse.”

Ifs Numbers Red Wine France Reverse Alarms Good Place Food Love Red Wine

Author:Salma Hayek

“If you're feeling blue, lock yourself in a room, stand in front of a mirror, and dance - and laugh at yourself and be sexy. Dance the silliest and ugliest you've ever danced. Make fun of yourself and try to recover your sense of humor.”

Ifs Trying Feelings Fun Rooms Laughing Fronts Mirrors Blue Sexy Sense Of Humor Locks Laugh At Yourself Feeling Blue

Author:Salma Hayek

“If you're paralyzing your face in your 20s and 30s, you're not exercising the muscles that give it strength. My feeling is, laugh, cry, move your face.”

Ifs Giving Feelings Faces Moving Laughing Cry Exercise Muscles Your Face

Author:Salma Hayek

“Imagine if I'd said, 'I have to be the best actress - I want that and nothing else.' I never would have directed. I never would have produced. I never would have done a beauty line. I would have just worried about getting a job or been frustrated that I wasn't getting the job that I wanted. I was ready to be a businesswoman.”

Ifs Want Said Done Wanted Jobs Lines Imagine Ready Actresses Worried Being The Best Frustrated

Author:Salma Hayek

“My accent was horrible. In Mexico, nobody says, 'You speak English with a good accent.' You either speak English, or you don't: As long as you can communicate, no one cares.”

Long Care Speak Communicate Horrible Mexico Accents Speak English No One Cares

Author:Salma Hayek

“My English was limited to vacationing and not really engaging with Americans. I knew 'shopping' and 'eating' English - I could say 'blue sweater,' 'creme brulee,' and 'Caesar salad,' - so I came here thinking I spoke English.”

Thinking Eating Blue Spokes Shopping Engaging Salad Sweaters Caesar Salad Creme Brulee

Author:Salma Hayek

“My grandmother was energetic and fearless - a talented poet and songwriter. She was also interested in chemistry and history and medicine, taking care of the people in her hacienda in Mexico, delivering babies. She could have become anything, but this was the 1930s, and she was forced into an arranged marriage.”

People Care Poet Baby Medicine Fearless Grandmother Chemistry Mexico Songwriters My Grandmother Energetic Delivering 1930s Arranged Marriage

Author:Salma Hayek

“My mother was devoted to helping people - with my father's money! - who had great voices but didn't have the financial means to study music. He and my mum gave away dozens of music scholarships, and my mum opened a school in town, introduced opera to children and created fantastic programmes.”

People Mean Children Helping School Mother Father Voice Study Towns Financial Fantastic Dozen Opera Devoted Mum Helping People Scholarship Programmes Great Voice

Author:Salma Hayek

“Somehow I am really relaxed within the chaos of having a baby - and anyone who's a mother knows it's very hard to relax, because there is so much to do and worry about!”

Knows Hard Mother Worry Baby Chaos Relax Relaxed Having A Baby

Author:Salma Hayek

“The thought of somebody pulling and cutting around my face gives me stomach ache. Plastic surgery would be so painful. What if it doesn't look good? What if they made a mistake? I couldn't do it.”

Ifs Giving Looks Made Would Be Faces Mistake Cutting Give Me Painful What If Stomach Plastic Pulling Surgery Ache Made A Mistake Plastic Surgery

Author:Salma Hayek

“They offered me that film before I did Frida and I said, no, I'm not capable of directing. Then after seeing Julie direct, I was inspired by it. She motivated me to do it, because we don't have role models as woman for directors.”

Said Film Roles Seeing Directors Capable Models Direct Inspired Motivated Role Models Happy Friday Frida

Author:Salma Hayek

“What you need is one black dress I call Plan B. It doesn't have to be fabulous, it just looks good, covers up the problems and is neutral enough for dinner, business, a date, a funeral. You don't overwear it, you don't overwash it, because the Plan B is - gold.”

Needs Looks Enough Problem Black Plans Gold Dresses Dinner Funeral Fabulous Cover Ups Plan B

Author:Salma Hayek

“When I first came to Hollywood I was told to go out with an agent because it was good for my career. So I went to a party with him because it was good for my 'career.' Well, he thought the whole thing was a big date. Needless to say, I was very upset.”

Firsts Wells Whole Bigs Party Careers Hollywood Agents Upset

Author:Salma Hayek

“You can be a thousand different women. It's your choice which one you want to be. It's about freedom and sovereignty. You celebrate who you are. You say, 'This is my kingdom.'”

Want Different Choices Thousand Who You Are Kingdoms Celebrate Sovereignty

Author:Salma Hayek

“You know Latin people? African-American people? How our skin ages more slowly? Even though we're dramatic, we move our faces, we eat higher-fat foods, we're the ones with fewer wrinkles - it makes you wonder.”

People Knows Age Faces Moving Wonder Higher Skins Fats African American Dramatic Latin Fewer Wrinkles

Author:Salma Hayek

About the Author

Born: September 2, 1966
Known for: Film actress
Quotes: 165

Related Topics

Ifs Thinking People Knows Want Mother World Children Looks Believe

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The Juice Generation: 100 Recipes for Fresh Juices and Superfood SmoothiesRelated source material

Similar Authors

Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Angelina JolieBrowse related quotes
Clint EastwoodBrowse related quotes
David LevithanBrowse related quotes
Madonna CicconeBrowse related quotes
Sandra CisnerosBrowse related quotes
Meryl StreepBrowse related quotes
Tori AmosBrowse related quotes
Nicole KidmanBrowse related quotes
Jodi PicoultBrowse related quotes