A true artist is practically married to his or her art form so I just couldn't turn my back on it.

The hands find a way to do what the heart wants to say

If you lack technique you lose the freedom to create.

I didn't study music. I literally lived it.

With the guitar I've suffered a great deal, but when I've had a good time, the suffering seemed worthwhile.

I believe that people have to be sensitized more about the many jobs an individual can branch out to after studying an art form.

You may be surprised to know that growing up, I wanted to be a writer of children's books.

What I love about African-African music is how unselfconscious it is in so many ways.

In general, even if I'm dealing with a historical subject, I begin with invention rather than investigation, because I need to understand what is going to be the voice or the tone of the story.

I have noticed that these days, people don't want to take their time to succeed.

As a visual arts teacher, I have to keep my mind open. I have explores styles from pointillism to cubism.

It's a fact that people are afraid of what they don't understand. And most are too lazy or ignorant to find out more.

The spirit of light is the soul of love.

How many geniuses are we putting to sleep today and where would our world be now, if the age of pill popping, mind numbing control existed during the times of Da Vinci, Shakespeare, or Einstein?

I can read in any book and newspaper about the city of Detroit, but I want to hear what the people in Detroit have to say about Detroit. My best education is actually talking to people.

Any show that's bringing in a young audience is doing a good thing, because that's the only way that theater will continue to grow. All the other audience members are going to be dead soon!

Stop what you are doing long enough to enjoy the sunset, listen to a special song that lifts you up, or pick up the phone and share some special thought with a caring friend.

God is God. His name doesn't matter.

Anacalypsis: An Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the Saitic or an Inquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations and Religions.

As a child, I wanted to marry a farmer, but no doubt the reality would have been very different to the idyll in my head.

It's no fun for me to cover a song and produce it the exact same way as it already exists. When I hear that happening, I have to say, 'What's the point?