"Feeling good about yourself gives you an incomparable glow that comes from the inside. Respect yourself and cherish every moment that has made you the beautiful woman you are today!"

— Ken Paves

"While the way we look may be only one part of who we are, it is still a part of us. And feeling that you look your best can be a real confidence booster."

— Colette Bouchez, writer

"I don't even have to be perfect. ... [I have] what I have, and that's good enough."

— Chandra Wilson, actress

"The real challenge for us is to ... show you how to unveil the beauty that I know everybody has."

— Dr. Oz

"I've noticed people looking at me more, and I'm not shying away from it the way I used to. I don't think it's so much my appearance as that people are responding to what I'm projecting now—more confidence, more comfort in my body."

— Janine Ptaszek, acupuncturist

"To be beautiful, you have to eat well and exercise. Don't put unhealthy stuff into your body."

— Veronica Webb, model

"The most beautiful people, I think, are intrinsically curious, open-minded and nonjudgmental. We all have a tendency to cast judgment on people, and I myself—I'm really trying to be much more open-minded about people rather than basing my views on first impressions."

— Lisa Ling

"It makes evolutionary sense to care about beauty. What's a mistake is to assume beauty is only external. After all, someone may be a knockout, but if she is in pain, lacks energy, is always unhappy or spiritually disconnected, her attractiveness will fade fast."

— Dr. Oz

"The fact is, I'm not thin. But here's my newfound reality: You don't have to be thin to look great!"

— Lisa Kogan

"Compared to 10 years ago, I feel marvelous. I feel more confident. I feel more beautiful. And I think it's because I've opened inwardly that I just feel the world's my oyster."

— Evonne, a 70-year-old woman who believes age is just a number

"Physical beauty isn't the most important thing—about me or to me. I have enough gorgeous friends to know that being pretty guarantees nothing—not confidence, not happiness, not love. I also know that a good man isn't necessarily good-looking. So these days, I concentrate on developing my best asset: my personality (my breasts are a close second). ... And because I believe that there's much more to me than my looks, other people believe it too."

— Felicia P. Fields, actress

"When a woman feels good naked, it shows. She has an allure that comes through in the way she moves or talks or laughs. Her confidence isn't rooted in her clothing size or facial features but in her attitude—fun, delightful, free."

— Laure Redmond, author

"My mama always said, 'Oh, you're such a pretty girl,' and I believed I was, thanks to her encouragement. ... Everybody has a part of her body that she doesn't like, but I've stopped complaining about mine because I don't want to critique nature's handiwork. There's no such thing as imperfection. My job is simply to allow the light to shine out of the masterpiece."

— Alfre Woodard, actress

"You don't know how much power your smile carries."

— Dr. Robin Smith

"We should all feel beautiful. If you feel beautiful, you will be more political, more active in trying to stand up for yourself, you'll be in more control of your life, have more sense of power over what you're doing."

—Margaret Cho, comedian

"The next time you look into the mirror, try to let go of the story line that says you're too fat or too sallow, too ashy or too old, your eyes are too small or your nose too big; just look into the mirror and see your face. When the criticism drops away, what you will see then is just you, without judgment, and that is the first step toward transforming your experience of the world."

— Valerie Monroe

"For now. I'd never say I'll never have a facelift, but I'm way too scared of looking like a different person. I have no philosophical or political position on plastic surgery; I just don't want to look crazy. And I don't like not being able to tell how old someone is: It's creepy."

— Ellen Barkin, actress

"I just try to do my best to look good—get enough sleep, stay healthy, have fun with makeup—then forget about it! If you obsess about your looks, it kills your spirit."

— Lauren Hutton, actress

"Don't try to be someone other than who you are; don't believe in quick fixes or a miracle in a jar. Remember that 'beauty is a gift in youth and an art as we age.'"

— Susan Kurtz, author and president of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care

"The most common body image complaint for women, and increasingly for men, is the 'I feel fat' body-image distortion. It's a learned perspective that says to be bigger is a bad thing. But it's not. And actually, it's quite possible to be big without being unhealthy."

— Kathy Kater, social worker

"I've never molded myself to fit other people's ideals. Who I am works for me, and it's working for my career."

— Queen Latifah, actress and singer

"I realized that makeup had little bearing on how others saw me; it enhanced my looks only by making me feel a certain way. I still wear Bad Gal et al., but it's no longer a daily necessity. I don't need a mask to look like myself."

— Dorothea Hunter, assistant editor, O, The Oprah Magazine

"The inherently fugitive nature of happiness somehow accounts for the extraordinary beauty of women as they age."

— Mark Leyner, author

"Never compare yourself with anyone else, and try your best to reach your own potential rather than feeling you have to measure up to someone else's standards."

— Dr. Doris J. Day

"When we see a gorgeous person, somewhere deep in our brains an alarm goes off telling us we've struck gold. One might argue—many do—that we place too much importance on physical beauty, but the fact is, we're hardwired to respond to it."

— Dr. Oz

"Turn and look within, realizing that what you need, you already have—that's the real you."

— Dr. Robin Smith

"It's about knowing and accepting yourself at your core. We don't get to choose Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt as our parents, so we have to come to terms with the shape we take and the skin we're in. And when we do, it's very powerful."

— Laure Redmond, author

"Beauty will emerge from things you've never even noticed."

— Martha Beck

"I think what ages a face most is disappointment and a lack of enjoyment. So I try to do what I love."

— Nigella Lawson, celebrity chef

"My mom always told me that beauty fades—outside beauty fades—but inner beauty is forever."

— Beyoncé Knowles
Published 02/01/2010