“I am uninterested in appearing in newspapers and on television. Many people think I am striking a pose - that I want to create a sense of shyness. But it's just not something I want to do. I overdosed.”

“I can spot empty flattery and know exactly where I stand. In the end it's really only my own approval or disapproval that means anything.”

“I have always had strong maternal instincts. Even when I was still a child I cut out pictures of prams from newspapers and imagined the feeling of pushing my own pram through fresh winter snow and seeing the wheels' tracks behind me in the snow.”

“I have one pug and one Czechoslovakian dog called Prazsky krysarik.”

“I just want to live in peace and quiet.”

“I may have aimed too high sometimes, asked too much of myself and demanded too little from those around me.”

“I must be allowed to be as I am.”

“I spend a lot of time with the grandchildren. They love it when we sing together. It's fantastic to hear them, and they really can sing. I don't talk to them so much about 'Abba' and the past, but as they get older, they will become more aware.”

“I used to suffer from stage fright, which at times was an ordeal. I won't perform live again. I'm going to do some TV shows and videos but nothing else... I don't like to travel too much or do concerts. I'm more of a studio and home girl.”

“I was so tired once 'Abba' was over and just wanted to be calm and with my children. I married, was in 'Abba,' had my children, divorced, all in ten years. I wonder how I managed it, but I was young.”

“I would like to sing the theme tune of a big film - something like 'Titanic.'”

“I'm a country bumpkin. I'm not a showgirl.”

“It has always felt like a failure that Bjorn and I couldn't keep our family together. You never get it back, but to this day I don't regret splitting up. The reason behind our separation is one of those things I definitely don't want to go into!”

“It's strange that the newspapers don't see a connection between their false revelations about my private life and my need for seclusion and security.”

“My life contains so many other things; I have my children, my grandchildren, my two dogs and a big place in the country. I have my own life.”

“My path has not been determined. I shall have more experiences and pass many more milestones.”

“No one who has experienced facing a screaming, boiling, hysterical audience can avoid feeling shivers in the spine. It's a thin line between celebration and menace.”

“Performing live is not my favourite. I am more of a recording person; I prefer to be private. I didn't mind doing videos, even if they came very close with the camera. I can take that, but walking on stage in concert and singing live, that is a bit difficult.”

“The press has always written that I am a recluse and a mysterious woman, but I am more down-to-earth than they think.”

“There is a danger of changing too much in the search for perfection.”

“There was a time when the music fell silent. Both within me and around me.”

“This idea of trying to repeat a success doesn't interest me. It's only really done to make money.”

“When I was 15 I became a full-time singer in a band. At 18 I made my first record.”

“When I was 25, Abba was formed. After Abba I made three solo albums. Maybe I have been productive enough.”

“When I'm living in the world of luxury and celebrity, which is where I found myself for a large part of my life, it's a walk-on part. Not a vital necessity, like it is for so many people. I enjoy it but I can see right through it!”

“When you love someone, and you've lost that one, then nothing really matters.”