Every time I would open my mouth to sing, everybody was paying attention to me. It became a habit.
Nana Mouskouri

For my convalescence, I had to exercise my voice only with vowels. It is a medical rule after a long loss of voice.
Nana Mouskouri

How you looked was not important. It was what you did and how you did it. Decide to do it and then do it the best way you can.
Nana Mouskouri

I do believe that if you haven't learnt about sadness, you cannot appreciate happiness.
Nana Mouskouri

I grew up thinking that singing was my security.
Nana Mouskouri

I left the table where there were important people and had lunch with my husband and a few friends. The reception was organised in my honour, so it was rather amusing.
Nana Mouskouri

I like to cook, but mostly Greek. When I am confused or tired, I think about what I can cook. It takes you away from everything, as you are thinking only of your dish.
Nana Mouskouri

I think sometimes you are born with a song.
Nana Mouskouri

I thought it was respectful to each country to sing in their language.
Nana Mouskouri

I was born a singer. I need to do that.
Nana Mouskouri


If I was sad or afraid, I would sit in a corner and sing. If I was happy I would jump into the middle of the room and sing. It was how I expressed my emotions.
Nana Mouskouri

It's nice to look good, but the most important thing is to be you.
Nana Mouskouri

My energy to sing, I get it from my singing. Singing was not a reason to make a living. This is the only thing I wanted to do.
Nana Mouskouri

My friends gave me the first songs which was the first food in my soul for me.
Nana Mouskouri

Once I was condemned to three months' absolute silence. As I could not speak, I wrote a book.
Nana Mouskouri

One of the most wonderful memories in my life was when I sang at the Opera House in Sydney. I will never forget that. It is one of the most beautiful Houses I have ever sung in my life.
Nana Mouskouri

The Berlin Wall go down, that was the most wonderful thing that could happen, absolutely. I celebrated with everybody in Berlin that day when the Wall was down.
Nana Mouskouri

The idea of the European community is never face a war again.
Nana Mouskouri

The secret is to cook the aubergines the day before and let them dry of all the oil they drank in cooking. When you cook aubergine, they eat a lot of oil. It can be very heavy.
Nana Mouskouri

There were wonderful moments when I was singing for the first time in the Olympia Theatre and I was pregnant with my son, which was very, very strange for a singer.
Nana Mouskouri