"Whatever I did [in the business], I did because it had to be done. All I am saying is that we are all heroes in the sense that we are able to overcome whatever it is."

"I am very relieved that our work has not been in vain"

"So my message to anyone: When an opportunity comes, tell your children, ‘Take it!’. You don’t say, ‘I’m not ready,’ because you will learn the job as you go along."

"We can only focus on one thing, which is create graduates who have the values, the values of working hard, the values of being determined to do the best they can, the values of ethics. So we concentrate on the student, then it’s up to them to do all of those things"

"Use your head, but follow your heart"

"Type As have a hard time shutting off their competitive instincts. I can vouch for this, having been a valedictorian, cum laude graduate and student council leader."

"I have this theory that if you go about looking for discrimination and bigotry against you, then you will surely find it."

"I want to make memories visible, while the storytellers are still with us."

"Begin with integrity."

"You are not here by accident. We are here to claim our space and to share our truths."

"Second, when setting goals in life, be flexible. I was supposed to be either a nun or a public servant, which would include becoming a member of the Philippine Senate. Falling in love was the farthest thing in my mind. Then came along Reginald F. Lewis."

"I wanted to improve my management skills. But the other reason is that my husband, daughters, and two sons-in-law all have Harvard diplomas. The years have not dulled my competitive streak, in the least, and I wanted to have a Harvard certificate, too."

"Goal setting. Obedience to the code of ethics. Determination. One mistake doesn’t make a failure. You will eventually get there."

"I am overjoyed to finally get a chance to share my memoir to my countrymen and in my homeland, the Philippines, where it all began."

"I believe that if I work hard towards my goal, with tenacity and integrity, I would get there."

"As voters, Filipinos are generally informed through social media. And unfortunately, social media do not necessarily respect the principles of journalism. We see how often they could be posting distorted facts and readers who are dependent on social media for news could easily take their word for the truth."

"We are a capitalist nation — but majority of our people are in so much poverty. And so here, Money is King, the media, the journalism press have to balance their reporting — they have the duty to report the truth."

"For those people who will read the book, you will see that my belief in the loving God is like a running strain in my life. So ups and downs, light and darkness, sadness and joy and all throughout, I knew God protects me and God Is my rock and my salvation"

"For us men and women, we are able to exist, succeed and flourish wherever we are. If you have an opportunity, take it, even if it’s not there, take it because Pilipino tayo, kaya natin.(If you have an opportunity, take it, even if it's not there, take it because we are Filipinos, we can make it.)"

"I can’t believe we are already on our 25th! We started with a population of 314, now, it’s 2,500!"

"It wasn’t about preserving power. It was about preserving purpose."

"Stand on what you’ve survived."

"I always use my mind, but in the end I follow my heart."

"Women can be effective leaders without emulating the negative behaviors often exhibited by powerful men."

"I learned a lot from my husband"

"I held on to his guiding principle in business as to what is more important: Create wealth for the stakeholders, rather than keep on building a bigger empire."

"There will be hope when Filipinos as a people choose to stand for what they know is the truth. They must vote for leaders who truly care for this country, people with integrity, not corrupt but have the interest of the Filipino at heart."

"It is important for people like us not to have a sense of empowerment, to have a sense that whatever challenges we have, we can do it."

"Many women are afraid to take on challenges that comes their way and this will book will tell them, you can do it guys, you can do it gals. In other words, don't be afraid of taking on challenges. We can do many things that men can't do."

"Use common sense, stick to core values."

"‘New year, new you’ as they say. I believe it’s never too late to develop good habits."

"I and my sister Mely were given a sense of empowerment—Papa wanted us to excel."

"Why don’t I share my age-defying beauty ‘secrets’ so that women, and men, too, could look and feel younger than their chronological age, without undergoing Botox, fillers, surgeries, and other expensive cosmetic procedures?"

"My morning routine includes my Zen practice."

"My passion is always for the Filipino."

"We are all equal in the eyes of God. What is important is what we do as stewards and manage what we have to do. I think that’s the most important"

"The first key of leadership is knowing and setting your objective"

"Do not let your ego be involved in making major decisions."

"I should tell people my life story."

"I didn’t just have all those achievements. I have had failures and it’s stated in my book."

"This book is for those who are seeking ways to truly give the kind of care to themselves that make for long, healthy and joyful lives"

"When I get angry, I shut up. When I’m angry, I whisper. Because if you whisper, the anger would lessen"

"Don’t say you love God when you are unkind, when you are cruel, when you look down on people—minamata mo ang mga tao (-you look down on people). You need to love your neighbor, which is the other side of the coin of loving God. All of that is part of my being."

"I was born in Sorsogon. I am a Filipina. I am a Christian Catholic. That forms the core of who I am."

"Whenever you listen to yourself, you’re missing out on major opportunities"

"That’s what I glean from my ancestors. I know how hard it was, but they defined themselves and they stayed on their purpose"

"We’ve got to do something about the economic gap"

"But some people are uneducated because they have no avenue to get educated"