Make your own talent, make your own luck, and activate your stubborn streak, and there's nothing that can stop you.

I cannot tell the truth about anything unless I confess being a student, growing and learning something new every day. The more I learn, the clearer my view of the world becomes.

You can't have relationships with other people until you give birth to yourself.

Success is its own reward, but failure is a great teacher too, and not to be feared.

The most fundamental truth to be told in any art form, as far as Blacks are concerned, is that America is killing us.

All poets, all writers are political. They either maintain the status quo, or they say, 'Something's wrong, let's change it for the better.'

No. Don't never go looking for love girl. Just wait. It'll come. Like the rain fallin' from the heaven, it'll come. Just don't never give up on love.

As you discover what strength you can draw from your community in this world from which it stands apart, look outward as well as inward. Build bridges instead of walls.

I do know one thing about me: I don't measure myself by others' expectations or let others define my worth.

Together we can face any challenges as deep as the ocean and as high as the sky.

Experience has taught me that you cannot value dreams according to the odds of their coming true. Their real value is in stirring within us the will to aspire.

Greed and globalization aren't just America's fault.

When there is nothing left to hide, there is nothing left to seek.

The person lives most beautifully who does not reflect upon existence

If you're tired and pooped out all the time, do you have love and compassion in your heart for your fellow man? You don't even like yourself!

I feel like humor is the answer to everything. If you have a little bit of humor in the shaker and you can sprinkle that on, that's your answer.

She spoke quietly then, the tiniest crack in her voice, and all at once Lacey Pemerton was not Lacey Pemberton. She was just—like, a person.

Goodbyes were impossible, unless you didn't realize you were saying them.

I love finding songs, going through them, tearing them apart, and seeing if I can find anything wrong with them.

May you get exactly what you want and live long enough to regret it.

Society values cooperation over independence, obedience over individuality, and niceness above all else.