I'm hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to learn every day, to get brighter and brighter. That's what this world is about. You look at someone like Gandhi, and he glowed. Martin Luther King glowed. Muhammad Ali glows. I think that's from being bright all the time, and trying to be brighter.

They say a midget standing on a giant's shoulders can see much further than the giant. So I got the whole rap world on my shoulders, they trying to see further than I am.

Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Obama could run. Obama's running so we all can fly.

I'm a mirror. If you're cool with me, I'm cool with you, and the exchange starts. What you see is what you reflect. If you don't like what you see, then you've done something. If I'm standoffish, that's because you are.

I wanted to save people's lives. I wanted to do something good in this world.

I love watching programs about Discovery Channel and just reading New Scientist, and all that kind of stuff. Im just fascinated by it.

You should be able to do you. That's what differentiates an artist from a singer.

I'd be making a fool of myself if I thought I was a rapper.

Longevity trumps everything.

I'm never a believer in going back in anything. You move forward, so that's my whole mentality, you make moves to go forward not back.

Songwriters, we're always looking for new concepts, fresh concepts, and there are only so many ways you can talk about partying, really.

I don't actually believe in the 2012 Mayan theory at all, but I thought it would be a really dope thing to write about.

The thing about touring is you get to see the world, man.

Birdman is probably one of the most intelligent music moguls out there.

I love making friends, I love talking to people, I love having a great time, and I love to see people have fun.

I've played in Detroit so many times; the only thing I can say is that the crowd has been very responsive to me. They've always shown a lot of love.

I've always done pretty well for myself here in the U.K., but I was never going to be content being a big fish in a small pond.

I was never your average artist, happy to do whatever the record company told me.

My father decided early on to get me the best education money could buy. He wanted me to have the opportunities that were denied to him.

I've never claimed myself to be a particularly Asian R&B singer. I'm R&B, pure and simple, regardless of my skin colour. Should that matter? I think not.

I cannot live without my iPhone.

When you're sharply dressed I think you feel more confident.

Fashion is a huge part of my life.

I think the charity side of things for me is very important, because if you're not giving something back, there's an imbalance somewhere in your life.