"When you're a pop star, it's a little conservative; you always have to stay in a box. You have fans ..." — Beyonce Knowles

I remember being in Japan when Destiny's Child put out 'Independent Women,' and women there were saying how proud they were to have their own jobs, their own independent thinking, their own goals. It made me feel so good, and I realized that one of my responsibilities was to inspire women in a deeper way.

I wanted to be famous for my music and my talent, and I always wished I could cut it out when I left the stage.

To be able to travel the world, especially to places I never thought I'd be... it's really, you know, still fascinating for me.

Tina Turner is someone that I admire, because she made her strength feminine and sexy. Marilyn Monroe, because she was a curvy woman. I'm drawn to things that have the same kind of silhouettes as what she wore because our bodies are similar.