I would like you to know, I am a doctor of music.

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.

Kindness is the best philosophy.

In pleasant peace and security How suddenly the soul in a man begins to die He shall look up above the stalled oxen Envying the cruel falcon, And dig under the straw for a stone To bruise himself on.

Sense will buy you more than dollars.

Every song is something that I've been through or an emotion I've felt - like falling in love or heartbreak.

When you're dealing with an in-law violation, I think the first line of defense is for the blood relation to have a serious talk.

Outside of acting, the person that I admire the most is my mother.

A secret is a kind of promise.... It can also be a prison.

With any character, the main objective is to bring authenticity to the role.

I've made over 250 pictures and have never shot a guy in the back. Change it.

Oscars are won with two or three shots only, because if it's really beautifully photographed, you don't really notice it until the astounding moment emphasizes it.