Being Latin parents makes us extremely expressive with our affections. Gloria Estefan More Quotes by Gloria Estefan More Quotes From Gloria Estefan [My mother] closed the school the next day [after a visit from Castro's soldiers], because she knew that the purpose of education was the broadening and opening of children's minds. And she couldn't be a party to the systematic closing of minds, borders, freedoms and ideals. Gloria Estefan party mother children I dreamed of becoming a writer. And this dream is about to become a reality with the publication of my first, and hopefully not my last, children's book. Gloria Estefan dream book children And, because of the life that I shared with these two amazing women [her mother and maternal grandmother] and the hardships and struggles that I saw them overcome, I learned an invaluable lesson, and that is that women can do anything we set our minds to... and then some! Gloria Estefan struggle mother two I've bought more music for my Ipod in one year than I bought in the last ten years of my life. Gloria Estefan ipods lasts years I received an award for 25 million in [album] sales the night before the bus accident [in 1990]. Gloria Estefan albums awards night [After a poor prognosis for recovery from her doctor following her 1990 bus accident] I said if it is up to me, I'm going to be OK. Gloria Estefan recovery doctors poor It is always so, I guess, validating when you meet somebody that you esteem -- and then they turn out to be everything [you thought] and more. Gloria Estefan esteem turns We kiss and hug our kids a lot! And even now when our son lives 3,000 miles away, we talk every day, sometimes several times. Gloria Estefan kissing kids son The secret of a long marriage is shaving your legs every day . . . because it shows you still care. Gloria Estefan shaving secret long Once you know the Romance languages, singing in those languages is so sexy and sensual. I do have a global audience, so why not? Gloria Estefan romance sexy singing Sex and drugs were simply not discussed in our culture at that time. Gloria Estefan drug culture sex Sometimes my mother had difficulty communicating with me about certain topics. Gloria Estefan topics mother sometimes To know that everything we say and do to this new little human being may have a profound effect on him or her is a daunting obligation. Gloria Estefan may littles profound What's the point if you make something that's not you, and you're successful? You have to perform it the rest of your life. Gloria Estefan rest-of-your-life successful ifs When I was a teenager, I was fat. I was shy. I wore glasses. I had a big eyebrow and hair all over my body. They were years of torture. Gloria Estefan teenager glasses hair The reason I’m not more political is because I have music. And from a young age, I needed it. After prison, my father came to America, joined the Army, fought in Vietnam - and was exposed to Agent Orange. He died a slow, horrible death. Music was my escape. Gloria Estefan army father america I wrote poetry, which got me into lyrics. Stevie Wonder, Carole King, Elton John pulled me into pop. I started singing with a band - just for fun - when I was 17. And pretty soon, I was thinking I could sing pop in English as well as Spanish. Gloria Estefan kings fun thinking I'd love to have a program like 'Dr. Laura.' I studied psychology at the University of Miami, and when I rode the bus home from school, perfect strangers would strike up conversations with me and end up telling me their life stories. I think they could sense that I was studying to help people. That, or I have a face like a priest. Gloria Estefan home school thinking My family was musical on both sides. My father’s family had a famous flautist and a classical pianist. My mother won a contest to be Shirley Temple’s double — she was the diva of the family. At 8, I learned how to play guitar. I used to play songs from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s in the kitchen for my grandmother. Gloria Estefan mother song father My mom was an amazing singer and music was a big part of my life, so I grew up listening to Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Henry Mancini; I used to watch 'The Andy Williams Show' on TV. I was very musical, so I was watching stuff that most kids my age wouldn't be interested in. Gloria Estefan mom kings kids