In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you.

Dreams can become a reality when we possess a vision that is characterized by the willingness to work hard, a desire for excellence, and a belief in our right and our responsiblity to be equal members of society.

Competition is great. And as long as it's friendly and not a malicious thing, then I think it's cool.

A lot of people who start work at a very young age never grow up because they never got that opportunity to be a child, so they hold on to that and still do a lot of childish, silly things.

You don't have to hold onto the pain to hold onto the memory.

I am the baby in the family, and I always will be. I am actually very happy to have that position. But I still get teased. I don't mind that.

It is my belief that we all have the need to feel special. It is this need that can bring out the best in us, yet the worst in us.

I've always been a tomboy. I've always liked to wear red, black, and white, and mostly pants.

I'm happy with the people that I have around me. And they've been friends of mine since I was young, for a very long time.

I believe in a higher power. I believe in inspiration.

When I was younger, I thought you had to be in control of your own life. That takes a lot of discipline, hard work and focus. You just can't let it all fall by the wayside. Later on, I learned that God is really in control of everything. But you still have to put your best foot forward and be the best you can possibly be.

People can have rhinoceros skin, but there's a point when something's going to hurt you.

I'm fine the way I am. There's nothing wrong with me.

I would hope my legacy would be bringing smiles to faces. Happiness with my music.

Some of my battles with weight have been very public. But most of them have been internal. Even at my thinnest, when my body was being praised, I wasn't happy with what I saw in the mirror or how I felt about myself.

I feel everyone is put here for a reason. Everyone has a calling. I always thought my real calling was to help other people.

Every body type is different - that's what makes you unique. What makes you special is you, and you are different from the next person.

When we were growing up, all of us kids were vegetarians. No one had asked me to stop eating meat - I just noticed everyone else around me had stopped, so I followed the crew.

In complete darkness, it is only knowledge and wisdom that separates us.

I'd adopt. And I think that if I'm really supposed to have kids, it will happen, if that's God's plan for me.

It's really about being pleased with yourself.

I kinda see everyone as competition.

People do see me as sweet and innocent. Not to say that I am not those things. But I have other sides to me.

My parents are very competitive, so we are very competitive as kids. But it's a good kind of competition; it's not a jealousy. You always want to do your best, and if it can't be you, you want it to be your brother or your sister, you know what I mean?

It has taken me most of my adult life to come to terms with who I am. To do that, I had to break free of attitudes that brought me down.

I can be an emotional eater.

I am not a religious person, but I am spiritual. But I don't believe in things like guilt.

I think people really connect with the idea of someone who's gained and lost weight in this very public way, and also someone who's an emotional eater.

My concepts are never bright ideas; they're never notions I think will sell or be trendy or attract new fans. I don't think that way. All I can do is sing from my life.

You get used to working with one choreographer. You kind of get stuck in that vein and you work your way out of it, picking up someone else's style, their flavor. It takes a bit of time.

I've never been into what am I going to do next, trying to reinvent myself.

Ever since I was little, I loved to eat. I started eating when I wasn't hungry. My weight has always been up and down.

If I wasn't singing, I'd probably be, probably an accountant.

I've never been one for keeping a journal, so my songs were my journals. They allowed me to express my feelings and let people know what was going on with me. I knew that somebody would relate.

Touring is very grueling. It's very taxing on the body and living out of your suitcase, going from city to city, night after night. It's a tough job.

There are artists, true performers that have come before me who have been a big inspiration to me. I hope I do the same for others.

Food has always brought me comfort and the bingeing is triggered when I'm in a space that is not positive.

People tend to put entertainers on pedestals. We're human beings, just like you. You may see us smiling, and whether we have money or not, we still have bills to pay, we still have our stresses. I think a lot of people want to focus on others' shortcomings to make themselves feel better. And it's a very sad thing.

My first crush was Barry Manilow. He performed on TV and I taped it. When no one was around I'd kiss the screen.

That's a part of me going back to what I used to do.

When I'm feeling down on myself or not feeling good about who I am, or maybe something happened and I'm feeling depressed, I eat to fill that void. Afterwards I'll beat myself up about it. I regret doing it, but I'll turn around and do it again.

We all have the need to feel special.

Another side to me is this very sexual being. When I look back on my life, it's always been there. It's been there since I was 10 years old, having the imagination that I had.

By age seven, I used to comb my hair for performances, just pull my hair up into a bun. Granted, it wasn't a very intricate hairstyle. Still, to be that responsible and disciplined at age seven is unusual.

My brothers were gone on tour a lot, and I would miss them so much.

You can tell someone who doesn't have love in their life, then someone who is in love.

No word is absolutely wrong or dirty or insulting. It all depends upon context and intention.

There is a moment when you get older when your metabolism slows down and you don't feel like working out any more, so you don't want to keep yourself fit any more, but that's your decision. Why should you be judged for it?

I like to collaborate on my music. The creative process is fun, and you get a lot of ideas from having discussions about it. Ultimately, the final decision is mine.

I was two when we left Indiana, and I don't really remember it that well.