Greed has driven the world crazy. And I think I'm lucky that I have a place over here that I can call home.

You've got to learn to leave the table When love's no longer being served".

I tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.

What kept me sane was knowing that things would change, and it was a question of keeping myself together until they did.

You can't help it. An artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times.

Life is short. People are not easy to know. They're not easy to know, so if you don't tell them how you feel, you're not going to get anywhere, I feel.

You have to learn to get up from the table when love is not being served.

Talent is a burden not a joy. I am not of this planet. I do not come from you. I am not like you.

How do you explain what it feels like to get on the stage and make poetry that you know sinks into the hearts and souls of people who are unable to express it

There's no excuse for the young people not knowing who the heroes and heroines are or were.

Slavery has never been abolished from America's way of thinking.

The eyelids of the burdened clouds let fall cascadesOf rain, and the parterred garden is spattered with drops.

I've always felt that having a garden is like having a good and loyal friend.

No matter how naturally gifted you are, it's your passion that's going to make you better and maybe touch some people.

Mitterrand had a sense for symbols, and he was the first Socialist president since 1958. He wanted to show that there is historical continuity, a connection with the great figures of French history.

What we're dealt with hopefully is two arms, two eyes, two legs, a head, a heart. The variations, the extensions, the possibilities of the human body, what that can do

I've lived a fast-paced life, but I had the best childhood. I didn't miss out on anything by having my daughter at a young age.

Some Christians need encouragement to think before they act. Others need encouragement to act after they think.

If just one person touches you without your permission, stepping back and saying clearly, "Please don't touch me" should get them to stop.

I always add a year to myself, so I'm prepared for my next birthday. So when I was 39, I was already 40.

I would say on a creative level I put a lot of pressure on myself.