Madonna Ciccone
Known simply by her first name Madonna, is an American pop singer-songwriter, record and film producer, film director, dancer, actress, author and a fashion icon.
Rex Lee: "Remember when Madonna was first on American Bandstand and she told Dick Clark she wanted to rule the world? Well I don't want to rule the world, but I want to make my mark on the world... You know what? I'm lying. I do want to rule the world."
Mike Myers: "It was terrifying, It was like kissing the Eiffel Tower in terms of how famous she is." [about making out with Madonna for tv skit]
Ayumi Hamasaki: "I really like Madonna. What I admire is she's made it on her own terms."
Christian Audigier: "She is really all about the detail. She knows exactly what she likes and is always proposing ideas to us. After that she decides whether she wants to add shoes or other things. She's like me, when it's a, 'Yes,' it's a big, 'Yes.' When it's a, 'No,' it's a definite, 'No!' I like people like that, a lot of people are really critical but never give a solution. She is not like that."
"Better to live one year as a tiger, than a hundred as sheep."
Ashton Kutcher: "Madonna has a project in Malawi where she has genuinely affected the lives of about 250,000 children who are orphaned. I think that's a pretty generous person, not someone who should be criticized. That sort of generosity is pretty admirable."
"I'm not a feminist, I'm a humanist." (On Stage and On The Record 2003)
"I am because we are. We all bleed the same color. We all want to love and be loved." About her documentary I Am Because We Are
"I'd like to think I am taking people on a journey; I am not just entertaining people, but giving them something to think about when they leave."
Beyoncé: "I love Madonna. I do! Definitely. It all works for Madonna. I mean, I couldn’t do a lot of the things she does, but it works for her. I watched the "Human Nature" music video for the "Check On It" video even though it didn’t come out anything like it. I wanted to do something like that but we didn’t have time to do it because it was just a 12-hour shoot."
Esther Rantzen: "I get surprised by the venom that I hear expressed about Kabbalah. I think part of it is Madonna-envy."
Natasha Bedingfield: "I have so much respect for Madonna after learning how hard it is to sing ["Ray of Light"]. She has an amazing voice - the range you need to sing the song is incredible."
"A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That's why they don't get what they want."
Jean-Baptiste Mondino: "She's John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the same time".
Gerard Butler: "She was awesome. She was very, very cool. She played a bit of nurse to me, because I got sick in the middle of the film. She turned up with all these medications. In fact, the first day I met her, she was like, 'So you're the sick one. Take this, take this, take this.' The infection was in my throat and chest and I was really run down. Madonna thought the whole thing out and helped me get better."
"I hate polite conversation. I hate it when people stand around and go, 'Hi, how are you?' I hate words that don't have any reason or meaning. Also I hate it when people smoke in elevators and closed in places. It's just so rude."
Craig David: "Madonna is still sexy and cool. She’s had such an amazing career and has always been able to re-invent herself time and time again, and it’d be fascinating to chat to her about that over a couple of drinks."
"One must dare to show what he wants. You have to go and ask for things rather than wait for them to happen." (Crillon Hotel, Paris, November 1998).
Herb Ritts: "I've always said that if you didn't know Madonna necessarily, you'd still be curious about the woman in the photograph."
Rosanna Arquette: "It suddenly just exploded overnight; you know, she was everywhere. And they started kind of rewriting the script for that, to tailor-make it for her in those moments. And here she is, still at it. She's 50 years old – almost 50 and rocking on. I think that's great."