I think my first hit was probably '24 is a Rubberband Man,' which was my second album. My first project, it was very well received in the Southeast region, all throughout the South and parts of the Midwest. It was very well received, but I didn't get national exposure on my second album.

I think R. Kelly's range is so vast and broad that in order to stimulate himself creatively as an artist, he has to step so, so far outside the box, or else he feels like he's not challenging himself.

We cannot continue to get caught up in having material abundance and yet be fundamentally and spiritually broke.

I don't think there's anything wrong with sitting down with people as long as you understand that there are needs to be met and purposes to be served.

I don't think that you can let the storms of life overwhelm you. When you do that, you are no better than the craziness that caused you to be under attack.

I think most people who get into their 50s reassess what made sense and what didn't make sense.

I'm not particularly political. I'm not particularly denominational. I'm not worried about any of that.

If you think down, you will go down. If you think up, you will go up. You’ll always travel in the direction of your thinking.

Your words will tell others what you think. Your actions will tell them what you believe.

Big ideas come from forward thinking people who challenge the norm, think outside the box, and invent the world they see inside rather than submitting to the limitations of current dilemmas

I don't know, maybe we're always looking for the right place, maybe it's within reach, but we don't recognize it. Maybe to recognize it, we have to believe in it.

Problems are not the problem: coping is the problem.

It is O. K. for me to feel angry and to express it in responsible ways.

I think if I have one message, one thing before I die that most of the world would know, it would be that the event does not determine how to respond to the event. That is a purely personal matter. The way in which we respond will direct and influence the event more than the event itself.

We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.

I don't think anyone wants to look in the mirror and say, 'I'm anti-woman.' They don't see themselves that way, and you can't treat them that way. But you have to tell the truth.

I think it's really healing to see movies that are based on true stories. It builds so much more compassion and empathy.

To me, I think it's this thing of everyone wanting to make Jesus the Son of God and Jesus the only way to God that is the thing that no longer makes me want to be a Christian.

I think it's wonderful to be here. And what a beautiful city you have here.

I have this sense that I didn't really start growing up until my twenties.

It's really good to be able to think about past loves without having a pit in my stomach, or cringing or feeling heart-broken, or like they hate you. Don't you think?

I think I really scored with my parents. All of my friends pretty much came from broken homes, and my parents are still together, but not only that, they're still in love and still write together.

I'm used to being told what to say, but not what to think... that's usually left up to me.

To secure the safety of the navigation of the Mississippi River I would slay millions. On that point I am not only insane, but mad... I think I see one or two quick blows that will astonish the natives of the South and will convince them that, though to stand behind a big cottonwood and shoot at a passing boat is good sport and safe, it may still reach and kill their friends and families hundreds of miles off. For every bullet shot at a steamboat, I would shoot a thousand 30-pounder Parrots into even helpless towns on Red, Ouachita, Yazoo, or wherever a boat can float or soldier march.