Imelda Marcos Quotes

Philippine former First Lady (born 1929)

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Imelda Romuáldez Marcos (born 2 July 1929) is a former First Lady and political figure in the Philippines. She is known as the "Steel Butterfly" and remains a controversial figure not only in her home country, but around the world. She became known for her extensive shoe collection.

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Alternative Names: Imelda • Steel Butterfly • Imelda Romuáldez • Jane Ryan • Imelda Romualdez • Imelda R. Marcos • Imelda Romualdez Marcos

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I will not say sorry and be pardoned for doing a godly act.

My grandchildren are growing up and they could not understand why the Marcoses are still being crucified although we keep on telling them that we did not steal from the Filipino people.

When they see me holding fish, they can see that I am comfortable with kings as well as with paupers.

The Philippines is where Asia wears a smile. Beautiful products can only be made by happy people.

Funny, I never shopped. Even my jewelry — not a piece of my jewelry I bought for me.

Diligence, hard work, foresight, entrepreneurship and God's blessing.

They went into my closets looking for skeletons, but thank God, all they found were shoes, beautiful shoes.

If you know how rich you are, you are not rich. But me, I am not aware of the extent of my wealth. That's how rich we are.

We never had such a violation of human rights. In fact, we have had no human rights case here in the Philippines, even to this day.

Thank God I never lost that childlike innocence and the purity of vision and naivete. …That childlike innocence was most useful, because if I was a bit wiser, I wouldn't have been able to do anything, perhaps. So I'm glad I was not smart.

I seem to be able to only see the positive things in life and the beautiful things in life and when I see, for instance, garbage or ugliness, then I turn my back or I seem to be able to skip it.

I have never been a material girl. My father always told me never to love anything that cannot love you back.

When you reach a certain level of leadership, people cannot be neutral with you. They either love, love, love you, or hate, hate, hate you.

It so coincided that Marcos had money. After the Bretton Woods agreement he started buying gold from Fort Knox. Three thousand tons, then 4,000 tons. I have documents for these: 7,000 tons. Marcos was so smart. He had it all. It's funny; America didn't understand him.

Filipinos don't wallow in what is miserable and ugly. They recycle the bad into things of beauty.