A lot of people who start work at a very young age never grow up because they never got that opportunity to be a child, so they hold on to that and still do a lot of childish, silly things.

I'm convinced that we Black women possess a special indestructible strength that allows us to not only get down, but to get up, to get through, and to get over.

People do see me as sweet and innocent. Not to say that I am not those things. But I have other sides to me.

Competition is great. And as long as it's friendly and not a malicious thing, then I think it's cool.

I don't believe in luck. ... It's persistence, hard work, and not forgetting your dream.

I can be happy with who I am, not what I should be, or what I might have been, or what someone tells me I must be.

Believe in yourself. Have faith in yourself because no one else is going to.

It has taken me most of my adult life to come to terms with who I am. To do that, I had to break free of attitudes that brought me down.

In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you.

The greatest achievement to any human being is to love God, yourself, and others.

Every body type is different - that's what makes you unique. What makes you special is you, and you are different from the next person.

There is no shortage of external inspiration. Open your eyes and look and you'll be dazzled by it. But it's nothing if you fail to see the magic, wonder and potential that resides within.

Grief is always amplified in silence.

Out of the mouths of babes comes only bubbles. Out of the mouths of men like me, only babble.

I stand at a distance, like a person who comes from another world.

Like anyone else, there are days I feel beautiful and days I don't, and when I don't, I do something about it.

I count my blessings every single day that I am an American.

The Board of Trade Make Do and Mend campaign is intended to help you get the last ounce of wear out of all your clothes

How many more people have to die or be afraid or be injured in Chelsea, New York, Erin, for us to wake up?

While he was alive Peter Jennings did considerable damage to the cause of civilization and human deceny [sic] by his sympathy for Jew-hating terrorists and their supporters.

The essay is one of my favourite forms of writing, and I feel like what's inside is really personal, more so than with shorter pieces.