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

I'm lucky in some ways in that I really don't need more than five or so hours of sleep.

When my daughter Zulekha was born, I was at the pinnacle of my working life as a model, and I pulled myself in two trying to cope with being both a mother and a career girl.

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

My given name was Zahra, which is the 'flower of the desert.' I don't look anything like the flower of the desert. My name was changed by my grandfather to Iman, which means 'have faith.' And it meant to have faith that a daughter would come.

I am so far more secure and more grounded and more know who I am than when I was in my 20s.

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.

It's really not a good idea to forecast or double guess the fates; you will always be fooled.

There is no age better than another. The commitment to give of yourself and the knowledge that the time is right are what's important.

I'm against a signature look, as that can be very outdating. But having said that, I also know my best qualities, so I'm not going to foolhardily give away my power.

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

I can't stand my legs, for a start, and you rarely see me in skirts.

I don't look like a white woman. I look Somali.

There is a lot of noise out there. I don't want to follow the trend - I want to create the trend.

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

I would go to cosmetics counters and buy two or three foundations and powders, and then go home and mix them before I came up with something suitable for my undertones.

I keep on 5 to 10 pounds above my jeans weight, as the ultimate no-filler-needed refresher, and buy a size up on jeans.

People get numbed when they see picture after picture, year in and year out, of people starving.

I can enjoy what I'm engaged in and be fully present rather than planning my answers to questions while someone else is speaking or thinking about my next appointment while my current engagement is still in in progress.

My looks have changed. I have laugh lines - not wrinkles.

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

When I lived in Egypt, we always wore kaftans. I had cashmere kaftans from Halston. You put on a kaftan in your backyard, and it's like you're in Ibiza.

I have been a muse to Mr. Saint-Laurent, Valentino, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Versace.

At the end of the day, my legacy will not be modelling but my cosmetics line.