'You Can Never Be Too Much of Anything' and 25 More of Christina Aguilera's Best Quotes
Because sometimes the voice within is not quiet.
If there is an art to inspiring an audience, a few names come immediately to mind — Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Cher… Christina Aguilera.
My earliest memories of Christina are visual rather than factual, and they date back to the candy-colored world of ‘Candyman’ flickering on the television screen at my grandparents’ apartment when I was four or five years old. Years later, I would discover, again on a television screen, the neon confidence of “Your Body”, the beat of “Feel This Moment”, and… I just remember watching Xtina with fascination that was provoked by her voice, sense of fashion, and beauty.
And just like that, those two singles became my own embodiment of liberation and hope that I would go back to again and again at such a young age.
I returned to Aguilera’s music in 2018, with the release of ‘Liberation’. I was sixteen and I found not only an artist I liked when I was in my early teens, but one who had spent years turning power, sexuality, motherhood, pain, and forgiveness into art. And I stayed.
Since then, I’ve been following her career passionately and I’ve become the kind of fan who pays attention to every new release, event, show or tour she’s done.
For the relaunch of my weekly quote series on ‘I Couldn’t Help But Wonder’ which is built around reinvention, survival, confidence, and finding your voice in a world too loud, there couldn’t be a more fitting artist than Christina. Her words — much like her voice — are full of wisdom, force, and sometimes fragility, therefore, she is exactly the artist to remind us that we are allowed to speak, allowed to change, to desire, and to become a little louder in times that occasionally ask us to shrink.
On Voice and Storytelling
1.“The awards are beautiful and they’re much appreciated and I’m grateful, but it’s the storytelling and the connection with people that truly just… I could cry thinking about it… it means the most.”
2.“I made a promise to myself that I would use my voice and position for something deeper than just making records. Having grown up in an environment that was chaotic I realized that sharing my story was vital in helping others who may struggle to have a voice themselves. From then, I discovered that the messages, lessons, and stories of my songs are one of the greatest gifts I could offer.”
3.“I continue to listen to my heart and sing about things, sometimes painful things, that could help others. It means so much to me to grow together with my fans through the years!”
4.“I think that the best way you can get honesty across in your music, to connect and relate to people is to be motivated by personal emotions, stories and feelings.”
5.“When there’s no one else look inside yourself — like your oldest friend — just trust the voice within — then you’ll find the strength that will guide your way. You’ll learn to begin to trust the voice within.”
On Reinvention and Self-Authorship
6. “There’s such a rule book that’s handed to us and I was given it since I was very, very little, and the older I got, the more I realised — you’re either going to be a part of the problem or you’re gonna stand up against it and create your own story, and that’s what ‘Stripped’ was about.”
7. “Nothing is ever a setback. If anything, it just motivates you for what’s next.”
8. “You need to find the power within to make [things] happen for yourself. When you realize this, you are unstoppable.”
9. “I’m not a 9-to-5 woman who has the same kind of lifestyle for years on end. I couldn’t do it.”
10. “One of the things that I truly have had to learn… is to trust your own instincts no matter what people might say about you, no matter what criticism or what negativity might come your way for just being who you are, and just being yourself, it’s so important.”
On Pain, Forgiveness, and Healing
11. “As a mother, I want to be the strongest, healthiest version of myself for my children. I wrote “No Es Que Te Extrañe” to come full circle, accept, forgive, and be set free. Forgiveness begins when heartache turns into freedom.”
12. “I think it’s important to let go of things that hurt us so badly that we end up being held prisoner by them. So this is a song about that, it’s about forgiving and sort of wondering about someone that may have hurt you — but understanding that they might have a story as well, they might have things that led to certain choices.”
Before you continue, you can read more about “No Es Que Te Extrañe” here:
Christina Aguilera: It means so much to me to grow together with my fans!
13. “Time heals everything. Sometimes you have to go through that pain and heartbreak so that you can get to the other side and come out on top.”
14. “It’s important to recognize your own self-destructive behavior and be honest about it. You’re only hurting yourself or losing out on your truth and happiness. I’m not afraid to face my own personal stuff. It’s so important to dig it up and figure it out and move on.”
15. “A lot of people are afraid to face themselves, especially when something goes wrong. But that’s important because if something happens within a relationship, it could be how you’re allowing someone else to treat you.”
16. “Tune out and turn in. Take your space, log off, put your mind, body, and soul first.”
On Womanhood, Sexuality, and the Gaze
17. “Why is a woman’s sexuality always under so much scrutiny? Why can’t she do exactly what she pleases without being called a million things?”
18. “I think all of us as women have this super-human quality. We create life, we give life, we are the sources of life for our children — we’re all pretty bionic.”
19. “Growing up with the childhood that I had, I learned to never let a man make me feel helpless, and it also embedded a deep need in me to always stick up for women.”
20. “You can never be too much of anything. You can never be too perfect, too thin, too curvy, voluptuous, this, that. I’ve been on all sides of the spectrum as far as any female in this business…
…As long as I’m happy in my own skin, that’s all I need. I’m happy with where I’m at. I have a boyfriend that loves my body. I love my body. My son is healthy and happy. That’s all that matters.”
On Ambition, Vulnerability, and Becoming Softer Without Becoming Smaller
21. “The most vulnerable people have tough exteriors because they are very scared inside, and it’s very hard for people like that — people like me — to open up. But playing it safe means you stop being open to learning. I always try to find the challenges.”
22. “That overachieving, ambitious, nobody-can-hold-me-down attitude I had, which came from a place of anger and aggression, has transformed into feeling like I will take on the world, but I will do it with an embrace, rather than with my dukes up.”
23. “People expect me to cry, but I always laugh when things go wrong.”
24. “Everybody needs that one person that takes you to the right place to see all the positives in your life.”
25. “My first love was singing and I had no time for boys.”
26. “I’m a big micro manager; I’m a stickler about organisation; everything needs a place, a purpose, and micromanaging myself even when I’m in the studio.”
And now that you’ve just read these twenty-six pieces of wisdom from an artist who has relentlessly continued reinventing herself in all aspects of life, I couldn’t help but wonder…
Which one of the quotes resonated with you the most, and what is a lesson you are willing to carry throughout your day?
An earlier version of this essay was originally published on I Couldn’t Help But Wonder on Medium. This version is now part of The Wonder Mag archive.