“Being around people like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick and Roberta Flack, all these greats, I was taught to listen and observe.”

I’ve got some good saints out there – that’s right – that pray for me constantly. You’ve gotta have that! You do.

Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let’s get that straight. OK? We don’t do crack. We don’t do that. Crack is whack.

Learning to love yourself, is the greatest love all.

I am not self-destructive. I am not a person who wants to die.

There can be miracles when you believe.

My mother was the first singer I had contact with. She sang constantly to us around the house, in church.

I broke my heart for every gain, to taste the sweet I faced the pain.

Sometimes you’ll laugh. Sometimes you’ll cry. Life never tells us, the when’s or why’s. When you’ve got friends, to wish you well. You’ll find your point when. You will exhale.

When the night falls, my lonely heart calls.

Nobody makes me do anything I don’t want to do. It’s my decision. So the biggest devil is me. I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy.

You can fool people. You can fool anybody anytime of the day, but you can’t fool yourself. At night, when you go home, you’ve got to be straight up with you.

If I fail, if I succeed, at least I live as I believe.

I have priorities. Maintaining my daughter is my first.

I’ve got a good man. He takes care of me. I don’t have to be scared of anything because I know he will kick every ass… disrespect him and you’ve got a problem.

I love to sing, but it’s just not fun anymore.

My daughter is my greatest inspiration.