“It’s not easy that everything you do, everybody has to come in and critique it and give their opinion. Sometimes it does help me and sometimes it hurts me as a person. That’s life. I have feelings.”

I know I can be diva-ish sometimes, but I have to be in control. The nature of my life, the nature of what I do, is divadom, it really is.

It’s a long road when you face the world alone, when no one reaches out a hand for you to hold. You can find love if you search within your soul, and the emptiness you felt will disappear.

I’m proud of what I am and who I am, and I’m just going to be myself.

I look around and see the things I have, and I remember not having them. That is one thing that keeps me grounded. I’m definitely the same person I was. I never lose me, I never lose the real person.

I’m far from perfect. I’m still learning. I overworked myself, and I paid the price. I consider the breakdown a breakthrough. I needed to hit rock bottom. I needed to understand the cost of pushing so hard; fighting so hard against the system.

One day I promised God that if he would give me my voice back I would never smoke again. I got three octaves back after quitting.

Once I was a prisoner lost inside myself with the world surrounding me, wandering through the misery, but now I am free. Free to love, free to laugh, free to soar, free to shine, free to give.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully its not a freight train!

I don’t think anyone knows as much about what’s right for me as I do.

True diva could not live without smart remark every now and then, a good sip of water.

If you look inside yourself, and you believe, you can be your own hero.

I definitely feel more complete than before. There’s a void you have when you don’t feel you’ve found the other part of who you are, so I’m in a different place now and that’s nice to experience.

Lord knows dreams are hard to follow, but don’t let anyone tear them away.

If you believe within your soul, just hold on tight and don’t let go! You can make it, make it happen.

Basically, I started singing when I started talking. Music has just been my saving grace my whole life.

I’m not vain, I’m insecure.

The moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible.

Don’t let people’s compliments go to your head and don’t let their criticisms go to your heart.

A good scientist values criticism almost higher than friendship: no, in science criticism is the height and measure of friendship.

I’ve been in politics long enough to expect criticism and hostility. But I was unprepared for the hatred I get from Christians. Why do Christians hate so much?.

Particularly as a writer, it is my job to ignore social critics, or the response that social critics might have when it comes to the opinions of my characters, the way they talk, or anything that can happen to them.

Being busy is a form of laziness – lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Being busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding the few critically important but uncomfortable actions.

Critics only speak up when they see someone shining. Average work doesn’t threaten them.

Don’t let people’s compliments go to your head, and don’t let their criticisms go to your heart. The degree to which you do either of these things is the degree to which you’ll be ruled by what other people think of you.