"“I only meant that aalis po ako ng Pilipinas kasi gusto ko ng tahimik na buhay (I'm leaving the Philippines because I want a quiet life). It was not a comment to insult my father because I trust in his judgement and all the good he is doing for this country. But I think it is also my right to know what kind of life I want to live. And that is a quiet peaceful life. Yun Ing po (That's all).""

"Mom guilt is the absolute worst because missing out is the worst. All you can do is make the small moments count let them know at every moment you can. That you love them and pray to God one day they will grow to understand you did your absolute best even at your worst."

"Single motherhood is so hard!"

"“Your lack of empathy reflects on you not me, I just have to remember. My Worth is not based on your closed mentality. I let it go, I set myself free. I don’t believe in regrets, But I regret having you as a memory.”"

"In the Philippines the only way to become a big star really — if you're not a singer, if you're an actor — is to be in a love team. It becomes this whole thing where your career and your personal life — the line between the two gets blurred. People just don’t know what reality is."

"Minsan lang magkaroon ng ( You only get) an opportunity once in your life, and if you're not gonna give it your all now, when is it gonna come back to you?"

"Don’t get stuck in a bad place. Know that life is a cycle and good and bad it all passes. Be in the moment but don't be swept away from it, live in your authenticity. Repair when you can. Laugh or make someone laugh and last but not least celebrate yourself. You deserve it."

"I just remember praying, ‘give me another chance and I won't ever take it for granted. Give me another chance to pursue what will truly fulfill me.’ As women are plagued with narratives, judgements. and ideals of how we should live out our lives. I played out mine. But once the story was something I refused to play along with, I left it. Di na ako yun. Di na ito yung para sa’kin, I said to myself. And left the narrative."

"What was once a period in my life I no longer wanted to remember is now something I remember with fondness. Without that pain I wouldn’t appreciate my life now. I'm grateful for its humbling effect on me because one thing is for sure, we will all return to dust."

"Being a single mom means trying to make everyone else look good while you settle to become annoying and repetitive and taking in that pain of knowing that you needed to be tough. Praying to God they would someday understand mama was crying too when you were throwing that tantrum. Mama was praying for you to grow tough and strong. Mama was praying for you all along."

"In every moment, whatever emotions or thoughts, I try to find myself beneath all of it— my essence…more than my looks and even intelligence. It is empowering once I find my truth and stick to it."

"It needed to involve change and acceptance, and it meant letting go of the version of yourself that has expired."

"I had to learn to muster the strength to trust that my body would heal, that I would regain my strength again because it killed me to accept that I had no choice but to trust the care of my kids to someone else. Nothing was in my control."

"Mama can’t wait for the day when she tells you the truth that it wasn’t mama that was the superhero. It was the complete opposite. That it was their love that kept saving her. It was them that was mama’s superhero."

"When you're a kid, that's just what you do. You believe anything that an adult says because you think that they have their best interest for you."

"There’s always a reason why God put us in this situation… it’s up to you how you will use it. So I hope whoever we are in our life, whether we are beauty queens or we are somebody else, there is a reason why we are there."

"I think it is not just about perfection. It is about a queen who is willing — willing to grow, willing to learn, and willing to love everyone. Because right now, what is happening around us is so cruel. It is not all about good. And what we need to be to inspire is to be a source of goodness and kindness."

"As a journalist, my heart aches for my country drowned by corruption, for the lives lost to earthquakes and typhoons. And for journalists like Mariam Abu Daga from Gaza, who died for truth. We are not born in fear, but to hope, to love, and to live in peace. Peace begins when parents teach children with compassion, leaders embody humility, youth find their purpose. And when we live with empathy and kindness, let love be the grandest voice to peace."

"I've learned that grace is stronger than pressure, that humility opens more doors, and that choosing kindness (even when it's hard) will never make you weak. And most of all, I've learned that every dream has its own timing… and when it's finally your season, everything aligns beautifully."

"Every champion has struggles that they’ve been through. There will always be obstacles and you have to learn to hurdle them – you’re never too old to learn new stuff. I think I’ve learned a lot over the past year, and the main thing is that I’ve learned to listen to my body. Like any athlete who wants to be a champion, you tend to want to train through your pain, but sometimes it’s better to rest and listen to your body, which will help you in the long run. That’s one of the mistakes I’ve made in the past; I’d try to push through the pain"

"Even though the achilles injury was challenging and meant I was unable to sprint or even walk at times, I continued to work. To come back from that and achieve what I did is a surreal feeling and I’m happy and proud"

"You get a lot of motivation when you achieve your first victory of the season"

"I told myself that I want to be the greatest female sprinter, so I am just going to focus on what the future holds for me."

"Process is training hard and trusting in God. That’s all it is. Trusting in God, trusting in the training that I put in, trusting in the abilities that I have, and believing without a doubt that everything will work out for the good of those who love the Lord and were called for his purpose. If that’s me, that’s me"

"I know Usain (Bolt) has won Laureus awards before, so to bring this trophy back home to the Caribbean, also in Jamaica, is very special"

"The season was a tough one, but we went out there with our heart and our soul and we put on a show"

"I would say I am very, very proud, but I cannot dwell on the past. Even though it’s very special, it’s memories. I cannot just sit and say ‘OK, I’m a double Olympic champion, I’m a five-time Olympic gold medallist’. I have to continue working because my motivation is to be even better"

"It felt pretty good. I mean, it’s a bittersweet feeling because usually we’re one of the last events at the championship and now we’re one of the first. I was like, ‘Okay, this is different, but I like it.’ Got it out of the way, got the rust off, the dust off, and, you know, did what I came out here to do"

"It felt good, the start felt really good. I definitely would like to get hurdles eight, nine and 10 a little bit more efficient in the next round, because everybody’s coming all guns blazing in the semis and so if I want to make it to the final, I have to be as sharp as possible"

"You know, I try to keep a clear mind and a loose body, I try to focus on what I can control. I know I can do all the hard work that’s possible but it’s God who gives me the strength to keep going and provides the opportunities and I’m just really grateful, and I keep that in mind and just enjoy the process. I mean, it’s not going to last forever, so while I’m in it, I enjoy what I’m doing"

"It’s an honour to win this award and I’m humbled to accept it. It will keep me motivated as I continue to work towards my targets"

"The younger girls are running really fast. I’d like to think I have a lot of experience under my belt, and so if I need to call on that experience, I feel like I can, but at the end of the day, you know, it’s just to do my best every time and let the chips fall where they may"

"That is my aim. I want to be in top three. I think 2:23 or 2:22 is within reach"

"I was very pleased about the result I had - with a very small preparation - for Hamburg, so that result was very good for me. I had a couple of small injuries along the way, so I had to scrap a couple of sessions"

"I want to get a personal best and finish in the top three"

"If given a chance to represent my country, I will be glad because it’s a global event and prestigious to compete at that level"

"After a break to recover my first training sessions went so well that I really wanted to run another marathon in the autumn. I am in the best shape of my life and did not want to waste it"

"Frankfurt is the perfect race for me. I am really excited to have the chance to come back"

"I asked myself, ‘Will I make it to the podium?’ I decided to run my race, and it worked out well for me"

"While we were lining up, I was scared looking at my fellow elite runners because their personal best times were higher than mine,"

"I had one lady who was running alongside me until the 41km mark, but I decided to make the final push, edged her out, and secured second place"

"So far in my training not only am I looking at time but also how I am feeling"

"When the pacemakers dropped because they were pacing up to 30km, I decided to run my race"

"Mostly I judge myself when we do long intervals on the roads. We run 4km at about 3:30 (per kilometre) pace. Then for one kilometre easier at 4:00 pace. We do that five times. If I finish that feeling like I can continue that’s when I know I am feeling good and ready to go"

"I'm so excited to have emerged second in my first major marathon. Special thanks go to my husband, who gave me full support and guidance during my preparations because if I was doing it alone, I couldn't have made it"

"I had to be very grounded with the fact that I am going out with this information because that’s part of the calling … It shocked me to my core, but at the same time also made me very steadfast, very strong, and to just trust in the process …"

"I feel like, in some small way, I opened the space for people to feel more comfortable about talking about that journey."

"I'll do it for love. I have done a lot of gigs for free. But I need to survive, I have dependents and I have a family. We don’t do it for money. If money doesn’t come, you will suffer. But if you do it for love and make someone smile,"

"God always has a way to reward you and that’s how I live. And if everything I did was for money, I wouldn’t be here today doing this interview because you would have to pay me."

"I listen to Whitney Houston, Ntokozo Mbambo and Tasha Cobbs. If you listen to their ranges, they are very high. I practice with them. I love their music, I love their voice"