You never know what motivates you.

The moment anyone tries to demean or degrade you in any way, you have to know how great you are. Nobody would bother to beat you down if you were not a threat.

Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew. They're what make the instrument stretch - what make you go beyond the norm.

I am not a quitter. I will fight until I drop. It is just a matter of having some faith in the fact that as long as you are able to draw breath in the universe, you have a chance.

If each person in this world will simply take a small piece of this huge thing, this amazing quilt, and work it regardless of the color of the yarn, we will have harmony on this planet.

I saw that I could not afford the luxury of just being an actress. So I made a choice to use my career as a platform to address the issues of the race I was born into.

Whatever good I have accomplished as an actress I believe came in direct proportion to my efforts to portray black women who have made positive contributions to my heritage.

All I have to do is find someone who has something to say that will enrich my life and they can't get rid of me.

Children should have a balanced start in life: a mother and a father. I think that's the only reason to get married.

We have to support our own films. If we don't, how can we expect others to support them?

I will lead my people out of bondage, Lord.

They all had defining color running through their gray existence.

Women have always been courageous... They are always fearless when protecting their children and in the last century they have been fearless in the fight for their rights.

There is nothing that teaches you more than regrouping after failure and moving on.

Never insult a writer. You may find yourself immortalized in ways you may not appreciate.

I have a theory - if the music is good and you have good musicians, the name doesn't matter that much. There are a lot of examples of that. The name is just a calling card.

I hate rude behavior in a man,' he explained in his quiet, unassuming drawl. 'I won't tolerate it.' He politely tipped his hat, and rode away.

Zamajobe is great. She's a terrific singer from South Africa.

The best way to let others know what you're going to do is to actually do it.

I’m not a liberal elite who was educated in the northeast, for example, I’m just a kid from Mississippi.