12 Famous Women Share Lessons Their Mothers Taught Them

— -- Happy Mother's Day!

Today's holiday is a celebration of mothers everywhere, but it also marks an opportunity to reflect on what they've taught us.

Celebrities from Julia Roberts to Jennifer Lopez have shared lessons they've learned from their mothers, and ABC News has compiled them below.

Julia Roberts

"One of the greatest things she ever did for me ... I remember asking her -- when I had three kids under 3 years old and just felt like I was running in a thousand directions at once -- 'How on earth did you raise all of us? You worked full-time, and you did all these things,'" Roberts told InStyle magazine. "She could have said, 'Well, you know, you just do your best.' But she said, 'Darling, it’s called daycare. I dropped you and your sisters off at 7:30 in the morning, and I would pick you up at 4 in the afternoon.' But it didn’t feel like that to me. I didn’t feel like I was a dropped-off person who didn’t see her mom all day. I just felt completely part of her life, and she was part of mine. And that’s the magic trick: to make people feel that they’re with you when they’re not."

Kourtney, Kim and Khloé Kardashian

Kris Jenner has six children, and in 2009, her three eldest opened up to People about the lessons she taught them. Some of them were beauty-related (Kim said Jenner "drilled" her on the importance of using a hot washcloth to remove her makeup, while Kourtney recalled her mom teaching her to shave), but Khloé remembered learning something more fundamental. "Mom always tells us how beautiful we are," she said. "She embraces our differences and tried not to make us cookie-cutter kids."

Beyoncé

“My biggest hero is and always will be my mother. She has taught me about caring for others, working hard and working smart," the singer and mother of Blue Ivy recently told Garage magazine. "Everything I know about being a mother comes from the examples she has shown. My mother has instilled confidence in my sister and me and taught us to always be grateful."

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez has a diversified resume that currently includes a Las Vegas residency and a role on the series "Shades of Blue." Her mother, Guadalupe, was a driving factor. “My mother said I could do anything with my life," she told the U.K.'s The Independent newspaper. "I could even be president of the United States."

Mindy Kaling

Sadly, Mindy Kaling's mother died a few year ago from cancer, but before she did, the TV star asked her for words of wisdom. Kaling told Good Housekeeping that her mom, a doctor, said, "Always be your own best friend."

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie's mother, Marcheline Bertrand, had a strong impact on her life. One of the biggest lessons, she told Vanity Fair, "is to figure out who I was and try to enhance my individual personality and not get in the way of it."

Jennifer Garner

Growing up in West Virginia, Jennifer Garner told Southern Living that her mother showed her the importance of surrounding herself with good people. "Community is the one thing people crave most, and it’s hard to come by," she said. "I grew up with such an excess of it that now wherever I go, the first thing I do is build my group.”

Kerry Washington

"My mom is a retired professor who has a timeless elegance about her,” Kerry Washington told Essence. “She’s not into trends, but she always looked great. Growing up she always received a weekly manicure, and when I got old enough we did it together.”

Now a mother herself, the "Scandal" star said she wants to emulate her own mom. "She didn’t instruct, she lived by example. Actions are more powerful that what you say. And, [watching my mom] gave me room to discover my own path," she said. "I want my daughter to find her own path, but what’s more important is her relationship with self. Knowing that she feels good and deserves to take the time and invest in herself and not worry about other think about her is important to me.”

Melissa McCarthy

While accepting an MTV Movie Award, Melissa McCarthy paid tribute to female comedians who came before her -- and her mother, who she said, "taught me not to fear being the butt of the joke, taught me not to worry about being likable or perfect, and to lovingly go for the kill."