“They asked if I wanted to be a model, and I was like, ‘Forget it.’ I come from a small village, we don’t read magazines there. I wanted to be a volleyball player or a veterinarian. But in Brazil, people struggle, so I thought, You know what? I should try this,”

on being rejected: “I kept trying. I was not going to go home empty-handed,” she will later tell Vanity Fair. “But I was hurt and I told my dad, and he said, ‘Gisele, ignore them. People with big noses have big personalities. Little noses mean little personalities.’ And that was it. I didn’t mind it anymore. I said, ‘I am not going to listen to people who make me feel bad.’”

“I’ve been waiting, like, a quarter of century to be a quarter of a century, can you believe it?”

“People will always have an opinion. Some people will say she should be a cleaning lady.’ And then another will say I’m beautiful” At the end of the day, it’s about what those people think about themselves.”

“If you are happy, you can give happiness. If you don’t love yourself and if you are unhappy with yourself, you can’t give anything else but that” –

I’m not the sexy girl. I’m like a tomboy.

“I’m aware of my responsibility, but really I am like everyone else, and my opinions are just mine. There’s no reason why I’m more right or wrong than anyone else.”

“I was never a fashion person. I never carry the bag of the season. I consider modeling like acting: It’s a job, pretend, and then go home to your real life.” Gisele in Vogue US 2004

Some Gisele Quotes from a 2004 article

“I go after things, and I love to live in the extreme,” Bundchen says. “I love extreme sports, I live life to the fullest. I never thought of this movie as the next level of my career – I just thought, I’ve been doing the same job for 10 years, and this is a new
opportunity. It’s not Shakespeare, I’m not telling everyone I’m a serious actress, because that’s not who I am. I’m a model! I just enjoy challenges. I wasn’t carrying this movie on my shoulders, I was simply the villain.
“When you try something new like this, it makes you appreciate what you do.
Acting made me appreciate my modeling job much more.”

“I’ve been modeling for quite a while,” says the 24-year-old runway legend, “so it’s kind of exciting to do something that gives you that cold stomach, the insecurity that makes you think, ‘Oh man, can I really do this?'”

“I don’t talk about my private life. The only thing I have to say is that I so appreciate [Leo].”
In regard to “Taxi,” “I never talked about [acting] with him,” she says. “We had other things to talk about.
“I’m a very, very private person,” she adds. “I understand that people want to ask, but there are so many lies written about me that it’s pathetic. Everything that I have ever heard about me in the gossips – they make like 5% sense. I think it’s funny how [these stories] say, ‘Her buddy said this or that.’ Who’s this ‘buddy’ they’re talking to – I’ve got three friends!”

“I never really understood what people found in me,” she says. “I think beauty is about taste. Some may find me horrendous, and some can find me pretty. In the beginning it was hard. People said, ‘Oh, she’s too skinny, she’s got a big nose.’ I don’t have one of those plastic surgery noses, I have a German nose, but so what? I have a big personality as well, so that goes with it. I’m definitely not the most beautiful girl in the world.”

“And I love business. I’d like to work on the licensing I have in Brazil. I just do not want to be one of those people who are 30 years old and suddenly say, ‘Oh my God, all I know how to do is modeling.’
“I think it’s important to live a part of your life, then close a chapter and say, ‘Okay, I’ve done that and learned from this experience. Now I’m going on to other things.'”

“Some people start modeling because they want to be models and they want the parties and the recognition, and then there are people like me. I come from a simple family, and for me getting into modeling was a chance to make money and create a business,”

“Family for me, is my base. I’m so grateful for that…Every year we have a family holiday, all of us together – my sisters, my parents, my sisters’ husbands and children. It’s kind of a sacred ritual,” British Vogue December 2011

“My hobby is to buy homes. Modeling is 40 percent of what I do. The rest is contracting.” she told Vitals magazine in 2005.

At our cover shoot she turns up dead on time (as always), saying: “I’m going to sneeze these shots out – don’t worry. You’ll have it on the first shot.” Which we do. Harper’s Bazaar UK 2008

“When I get to a job I click my button on: I’m working. But when I go home I click my button off. I’m a tomboy, a goofy girl.” Harper’s Bazaar UK 2008

You talk about self-esteem as a huge key to success. How do you remain so strong with your sense of self?

“Truthfully, people are going to judge you no matter what. I feel like when people judge me they’re not judging me, because they don’t know who I am. I’ve had a million things that happened in my life that were hurtful. Since I was tall and skinny so young, everyone called me Olive Oyl. I was just 14 years old when I started modeling, and people were like, “Hey, you’re never gonna make it because you have a big nose, small eyes …” I mean everything was a problem with me. So I remember calling my dad, and he’d say, “Don’t worry about it. You have a big nose, that’s fine, because that comes with a big personality — so that’s what you say to them next time.” The funny thing is I still have the same nose! And it made me successful because I worked harder. I had to learn about lighting and angles because I couldn’t just stand in front of a camera or the picture wouldn’t look good. So, at the end of the day, something that could have broken me helped me. No one looks like me because they don’t have my nose and it made me stand out.”

“I am not used to doing naked shoots but when you trust the photographer and the crew, you know it won’t be vulgar.” Vogue UK

“The more you trust your intuition, the more empowered you become, the stronger you become, and the happier you become.”

“To be a model is to be half actress. In the reality, I am a normal adolescent.” Gisele Bündchen.

“I love horses. If I could, I would ride the whole day. When I get married, I’ll live in the countryside, ride on horses and live among cows, chickens and dogs.” – about her love for pets.

I think it’s better when you’re natural, when you just do whatever you want, instead of doing classes where I see all these other people holding back because they’ve been trained with certain skills or techniques. I’m like, whatever.

I’m a very private person. I like staying home and doing my stuff. I hate people invading on my privacy. I hate talking about my private life. You almost feel like they’re invading your space, you know? I really hate that. I think that’s very disrespectful and I think they should have a law against that.

I wouldn’t say I’m going to quit modeling and become an actress, especially because I can’t do that because I have contracts, but I definitely enjoyed it. I wouldn’t call myself an actress, but I at the same time, if there is an opportunity… I believe in taking chances and living your life.

I don’t think anyone likes to see a picture of themselves in a tabloid, besides a couple people who I’m not going to mention.

If everything that’s written about me was true, I’d have about ten kids and I’d be married five times, one of them with some actor named Chris Evans, whose name I heard for the first time two hours ago.

“When I’m in front of the camera, just like an actress, I’m playing a role. One day I’m sexy, the next I’m wild, the next I’m tough. But in everyday life I’m the tomboy girl. Allure 2007

Allure:When you look in the mirror, do you think “Oh Im so hot”?
GB: “[laughs]no no! But to be honest I don’t look at myself that much because with my job I sit all day in front of the mirror. The sex symbol thing is funny, because I think of myself as a goofball.”

Allure: What is the best way to look good in lingerie:
GB: “You have to give your body a shape. If I stand like this (she slouches), my body is going to look like sh*t right? But if I’m like…[she twists her waist,stands on her toes,lifts her chin,juts her butt one way and her breasts another]…its a whole different story. You need to act in lingerie as confident as you would in a business meeting. Walk straight in there and say, “Hey how are you?”

Allure: What do you do when you’re not working?
“I love to cook. My friends make fun of me because I’ll give them entire meals with garlic on everything – the steak, the rice, the salad.”

Allure: Now the most important question, would you ever cut your hair?
GB: “I did it once. I was having one of those days where you just want to shed your own skin. I was in Milan, it was 2002 and I cut it short to my chin. It was not a fun time in my life. You didn’t see alot of pictures of me with my hair short, because I went to Brazil to stay with my family for six months. I won’t cut it again. I’m always saying I’m only famous because of my boobs and my hair.”

Elle 2007 interview:
“I am a huge fan of big cotton underpants; they’re comfortable. I wear them every day.” (Note: In Brazilianspeak, “big” is equivalent to a bikini cut, not granny panties.)

“No matter how many shows I’ve done, as soon as they say it’s time to start, I get that nervous sensation and feel like I have to pee,” she says. “So that’s where my mind is. That and making it to the end of the runway and back as fast as I can.”

First things first. What’s the key to looking fantastic in photos?
It’s all about the light. Always face it, because that’s how you give your face good angles. If you’re outside when the sun is overhead, you’re going to have dark circles from the sun creating shadows on your face. So no outdoor pictures between 12 and two!

That’s it?
And always, always powder your T-zone and the lines going from your nose down around your mouth so you don’t look like a bulldog. When those areas are shiny, it’s awful. And gloss will keep your lips from appearing dehydrated.

What beauty tricks have you picked up over the years?
I had a really horrible pimple on my nose, and a makeup artist gave me Nelsons Acne Gel. I kept putting it on, and my pimple went away. I was like, This is great. It doesn’t burn your skin.

Anything else?
If you’re wearing smoky eye makeup, a little beige or gold pencil on the inner eye corners will open up the area, but you only want to do it if the shadow is really dark. Otherwise, light pencil makes your eyes look too far apart, like a fish. And I put black mascara on my top and bottom lashes because I have tiny little hamster eyes. With mascara, they seem larger.

After all that makeup goes on, how do you get it off?
My complexion is delicate, so I have to use things that won’t irritate it. I switch moisturizers often, but I’m faithful to the way I take off my makeup: Lancôme’s pink foaming cleanser on my face and Victoria’s Secret Total remover for my eyes. They’re both gentle.

You’re a frequent flier. What goes in the toiletry bag?
Deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, braces….

Excuse me? Braces?
I wear clear Invisalign braces at night. One of my teeth was moving. A photographer was using a side light, which created a shadow across my mouth. I saw a Polaroid, and it looked like I had no tooth! So I went to the dentist and got Invisaligns.

As we’ve been talking, you’ve eaten two and a half large cookies,which is, quite frankly, killing me. Is it seriously all in the genes?
I love outdoor sports, like volleyball, and I play them whenever I can. But my secret is that I watch TV maybe twice a year. I’m not a potato sack; I’ve never sat on my couch. If I’m home, I’m cleaning, feeding my dogs, doing stuff. Life is too precious to waste time.

Women covet your hair. How do you get it looking so good?
I don’t do much. I wash it, but I don’t own a brush. When the ends get frizzy, I apply a little bit of Victoria’s Secret shine serum to them. Then my hair looks done.

On shoots, you curl your own lashes, apply mascara yourself, and pencil in your brows. You’re like a pro makeup artist.
I’ve always attempted to do my own lashes because it’s hard for me to have somebody with a wand right near my eye. I have blond, invisible eyebrows, so I try to make them with this gray-brown pencil from Pout, Blonde Bombshell.

What’s the most flattering type of lingerie?
Lace is very sexy, and I like a demi-bra because it gives you a little lift. If you’re wearing lace, you should have small underwear, but they make lacy big ones, too.

“I’ve always been a loud mouth, believe me. I always said whatever I meant. Even in school when the teacher said “its orange”; I’d say its red-brown. And I would defend red brown, because I’m one of those people. I have strong opinions on things. It doesn’t mean I’m always right, but when I believe in something; I really believe.”

“I speak from the heart and always say what I feel. I never consider the way it will be understood by other people and that a single word can create a whole story. It’s dangerous because it can hurt a lot of people. SO I need to be more careful about who I talk to and about what. So far I have never read tabloids about me that were even 5% true, but I still fight for free speech.”

“Freedom to me is about being able to say what you want, and to be able to be whoever you are. To be an authentic person.That’s freedom. I’m a very free person. I’m very “me”. I’m sad that some women in Africa don’t have that freedom. I’d die without it. To me thats like being a living dead. Everyone should have that freedom”. (Gisele speaking about supporting Bono’s American Express Red campaign 2006)

“I believe in grabbing the opportunity when it comes along”.

“Beauty is something inside of us. If you love yourself and accept yourself, that shows on the outside.”

“I’m a workaholic. I’m not going to deny that. I love challenges and that’s what keeps me going.”

“I have the best family in the world. We are very, very close. I believe everything comes from the family.”

I’m appreciative of everyone and I don’t take anything for granted. I’ve been happy with no money and I am happy with money. – Gisele Bundchen on Oprah