9 Life Lessons Everyone Can Learn From Selena Quintanilla

Thursday marks the 21  anniversary of the day Tejano music lost its queen.

Selena Quintanilla was murdered at the Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi on March 31, 1995, when she was only 23 years old. Though it’s been more than two decades since her tragic death, she will never be forgotten.

Looking back at old TV interviews with Selena, it’s easy to see why she continues to be a source of inspiration to fans across the world. The young Grammy-winning star was as kind as she was talented, and as wise as she was beautiful.  

In celebration of Selena’s incredible life, here are 9 quotes that epitomize her timeless wisdom, and the life lessons we can learn from them.

1. Believe in yourself.  “If you have a dream, don’t let anybody take it away. Always believe that the impossible is possible.” 

2. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do.  “Tejano music was hard for us because I was a girl. My dad had a lot of problems while trying to set up shows for us or presentations because there are a lot of men who don’t think that women can get the attention of the public. But ... wrong!”

3. Go ahead, get in touch with your roots. "I feel very proud to be Mexican. I didn't have the opportunity to learn Spanish when I was a girl, but...it's never too late to get in touch with your roots."

4. Education = everything.  "Music is not a very stable business. You know it comes and it goes, and so does money. But your education stays with you for the rest of your life."

5. Appreciate what you have. "The reason I'm really appreciative of everything that's going on around me is because of the fact that I never expected it, and I want to keep that attitude."

6. Don’t be complacent. “You hope for something. You wish for things to happen when you’re not doing as well, and when it comes around, it's like, oh, you wanna slow down but you have to stop and think [about] where you came from, you appreciate it even more. It’s better to be working than not working.”

7. Do what makes you happy. "I eat anything, and I'm not preoccupied with my figure. The most important [thing] is that the people accept me for my music, not for physical appearances." 

8. Let bygones be bygones. “What’s really cool about our family is we don’t hold grudges. That’s been the key to the success. We’ve been in little disagreements, and whether we’re right or wrong we’re gonna apologize.” 

9. Lead by example. “Anybody can be a role model. Anybody can.”