Cristina Saralegui Quotes

If I have to be compared to somebody, it is to Martha Stewart.

The talk show, as a genre, has been in decline for a while. It started with Jerry Springer, when the talk shows suffered a metamorphosis, going from the real and social issues to the hair-raising.

I am not a person of faith. I'm a Catholic. I was brought up Catholic, but I'm not a church-going sort of girl. I'm very spiritual. I pray every night. I believe in Heaven and Hell, but I'm not a person that goes to church, like, every Sunday.

I'll never retire from working; I'll keep my life interesting until I drop dead.

When you have a child who wants to take his own life and you feel powerless, nothing else in life matters.

The common denominator all Latinos have is that we want some respect. That's what we're all fighting for.

I am a Cuban mother, and you do not let your cubs get into trouble without you trying to help them all the way.

My hope is to see Tom Cruise jumping on my couch.

You have to eat right. That does not mean that I don't drink Cuban coffee. That does not mean that I do not have two cigarettes a day - that's what I'm down to. I drink wine - you know, I'm normal. But I do eat well.

For me, the American promise isn't just an idea or a theory - it's my life story.

I'm one of the highest-paid television people in the world. I feel like I've made a difference in my viewers' lives, that I've been influential.

The world is not ideal, and the only weapon we can give our children is information. Information which is not pretty, but honest.

On the television planet, where men make up the tribe, the law of the caveman rules. So, for a woman coming from another world, without experience or cunning, to succeed gradually in gaining control over what is to be taped, what goes out over the air, what is said without censorship, is an epic feat.

People would write me hate letters. How dare I try to represent Hispanics when I was so white? I tried to make them see it was racism.

America was the place that said, 'It doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter what your last name is, it doesn't matter if you drink cortaditos, or lattes, or coffee with milk. Here, if you work hard, anything is possible.'

I'm happy. I've had a great career. I adore my family. My closest friends from decades ago remain my closest friends.

Like Winston Churchill said, 'Never give up,' and I won't give up. It's a miracle that we even got on the air, and I'm very pleased with the ratings and the response.

Like most Latinas, I'm not afraid to speak my mind.

In my house, we speak Spanglish to the dogs, to the grandchildren, to the kids.

Latin life is rich with warmth, family values and history. I want to bring that beauty into American homes.

I want to make sure I'm not a dilettante. Decorating has been a passion all my life. I love it.

I was the only person at Univision who had complete creative control of my own show, by contract. They didn't like that. I was the executive producer; I owned the studio where we taped. I decided who went on my show and who didn't.

We Latin women are liberated from the neck up, not the neck down.

I came to this country when I was 12 years old because my parents wanted to give me new opportunities to succeed. President Obama wants everyone to have the chances I had.

To realize the American dream, the most important thing to understand is that it belongs to everybody. It's a human dream. If you understand this and work very hard, it is possible.