Though I was excited about the Sojourner Truth play, it was not reassuring to think that my entire future might depend on the success of that one show.

Basically there is no difference between whites and blacks, browns and yellows. I decided to think no more of people as Northerners and Southerners.

Whenever I played Columbus, Ohio, I dropped in to see my close friend, a medium who had mysterious powers. Her Indian guide was Mohawk.

We are all gifted. That is our inheritance.

We never had a bathtub. Mom would bathe me in the wooden or tin washtub in the kitchen, or in a big lard can.

I am somebody cause God don't make no junk

Many people know how to criticize, but few know how to praise.

Only those who are being burned know what fire is like.

Today or any day that phone may ring and bring good news.

There was one emotional outlet my people always had when they had the blues. That was singing.

All the men in my life have been two things: an epic and an epidemic.

Women sometimes allow you to be unfaithful to their love

History doesn't choose individual people. History chooses everyone. Every day. The only question is: How long will you ignore the call?

It was made clear to me that Music is related to everything, especially nature and language, but in order to speak it naturally, I had to first make myself a part of it.

I'm an atheist, but I believe in art. I go to galleries like my mother went to church. It helps me understand the way I live.

It is a perfect deception when you can lie to yourself and believe it. You cannot love two people the same. One will always fall by the shadows…even if that one is you.

Everyone's just extracting meaning and feeling and emotion from almost every aspect of music, and I think that for me, it's a huge antidote to that to have a concept album.

Life is constantly weighing us in very sensitive scales, and telling every one of us precisely what his real weight is to the last grain of dust.

I have an ego like anybody else, but I don't need to be stoked by going before the public all the time.

I had six good years and one bad one, and everyone was wondering whether I'd have a good one again.

I grew up playing sports. There is a clear line between success and failure.