- [interview in July 2001 with Germany's "Die Zeit" newspaper that eerily predicts her death] It is dark in my favorite dream. Someone is following me. I don't know why. I'm scared. Then suddenly I lift off. Far away. How do I feel? As if I am swimming in the air. Free. Weightless. Nobody can reach me. Nobody can touch me. It's a wonderful feeling.
- [from "MTV Diary: Aaliyah"] want people to remember me as a full-on entertainer and a good person.
- It's hard to say what I want my legacy to be when I'm long gone.
- [her advice for aspiring artists) Keep working hard and you can get anything that you want. If God gave you the talent, you should go for it. But don't think it's going to be easy. It's hard!
- Everything is worth it. The hard work, the times when you're tired, the times where you're a bit sad . . . In the end, it's all worth it because it really makes me happy. There's nothing better than loving what you do.
- Sensual is being in tune with your sensual self.
- When I'm long gone, I want to be remembered not just as an actress or singer, but as a full-on entertainer.
- [on her inspirations]: Sade. How beautiful is she? I chose her because I idolize her. I've always looked up to her. She and I have the same birthday which is January 16th so I feel like she is my soul sister. What I love about Sade is that she stays true to her style no matter what. She can leave us for 8 years and come back and be absolutely mind blowing. And you gotta respect that.
- Being female, you're raised to be a good, sweet girl and not flip out. So I had to give myself permission to be mean and evil. It's tough. But I've always been drawn to the darker side of things.
- [on Janet Jackson] I admire her a great deal. She's a total performer ... I'd love to do a duet with Janet Jackson.
- You have to love what you do to want to do it everyday.
- I stay true to myself and my style, and I am always pushing myself to be aware of that and be original.
- It's in how you carry yourself. I've always been a very mature person, and I've always known what I wanted. And I go after it no matter what.
- I see myself as sexy. If you are comfortable with it, it can be very classy and appealing.
- I go through the same problems all young people go through. Being in this business, I accept that there are positives and negatives but having a strong family base and a belief in God enables me to weather the storms.
- I'm the interpreter. I'm the one who takes your words and brings them to life. I was trained to sing and dance and laugh, and that's what I want to do.
- If at first you don't succeed/You can dust it off and try again/Dust yourself off and try again.
- There is always a bit of pressure to do a good album - to do good work, period. I really put a lot of pressure on myself, more so than other people. But I try not to let that overwhelm me to the point where I can't even do good work. I just put it aside and do the best that I know that I can.
- My parents just tell me, 'If you know what you want, you should stay determined and go for it. You can do anything.'
- Whatever will be, will be.
- There are times in my life when I just want to be by myself.
- I wanted to be different and original but still have it be something my fans could get into. There also are some big, beautiful ballads. I told my producers that I wanted tracks that are going to blow up in the clubs, but I also wanted songs that were very melodic and with a lot of instrumentation.
- Of course, the advantage is that, being in this business, you get to learn a lot, experience a lot of new things, and you can become real successful. The disadvantage is, of course the negative media. People may try to manipulate you and control you, and those are the things you have to avoid. But if you maintain strong family values and you believe in God, you can be successful. So, it's been tough, but I've gotten through it because I stuck with my family and my deep belief in God.
- You have to enjoy your job; you should wake up every day and love what you do... I honestly do... From the bottom of my heart to the depths of my soul. I'm truly happy.
- There are times I can't even figure myself out.
- It's Friday and I'm ready to swing. Pick up my girls and hit the party scene.
- I think it's important to take a break, you know, from the public eye for a while, and give people a chance to miss you. I want longevity. I don't want to get out there and run myself ragged and spread myself thin.
- I know that people think I'm sexy and I am looked at as that. It is cool with me. It's wonderful to have sexy appeal. If you embrace it, it can be a very beautiful thing.
- I'm a survivor and I can handle anything. I'm very confident about that.
- [MTV interview, 2001] I don't have to go back to Australia until next year to finish shooting [the "Matrix" sequels]. It actually works out great, because I have the time needed to support the album and tour. ... It's kind of hard juggling both of them, because it's double the workload. But the way I look at is I just let it work itself out, let it flow. If I don't think about it, it won't drive me crazy.
- I've always been mysterious. There are times when I don't understand myself...I think I'm a bit of a vampire in real life, and there are times when I just want to be myself.
- [on her second album "One In A Million"] I was very involved. When I got with the producers, I told them I wanted an album with different moods, different flavors. I wanted to talk about relationships and have party songs.
- [on her image] Well, I think that the image is a part of me. I wear the baggy pants , the hats, the whole nine. And you know, I may add a little for the excitement and the intrigue in the videos, but my family has told me that little air of mystery that surrounds me is for real.
- [on her character Trish O'Day from Romeo Must Die (2000)] What I like about Trish is that she's tough. She's independent. She doesn't take anything off anybody. But at the same time, she loves her family. She's got a sweet side. So I felt I could play her, and people could get into her. It would be realistic to people, being that people know me as Aaliyah, the artist -- there is this image that I have. I wanted to make the right transition and have people understand where I was going, and I felt Trish embodied all of that.
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