I grew up with very hands-on jobs. I was raised on a farm and taught to work hard. In this high-tech, high-speed society, somewhere along the line, we got the message that if we're not a brain surgeon or an astronaut, we really shouldn't be proud of ourselves.

Some sell their soul for the easy road. The devil's always buying. I can't count the ones I've known who fell right into line.

I think my weight-training proved to me more than anything that I can do anything in life if I really put my mind to it. I saw me bring myself from 137 pounds to 175 pounds over a seven-year period. That alone said to me that all you have to do is really stick with something, and you can accomplish anything you want. It's brought me great self-esteem because I know I did it. I changed me.

The fans are the end result of what we do. Sometimes I think we forget that those are the folks that mean it in this game. There's plenty of evidence to be found that you can have all the #1 records in the world, but if you really ain't touchin' them, you don't come home with gold records and platinum records. I'm very proud that we've only had one #1 record, but we've sold two and one half million!

I'd like to set things straight, a few more people should be pulling their weight.

Every day we encounter situations where we have to make a stand. Looking back, I could have not hand-picked a better song to be my first single.

The romantic stuff comes a lot easier when you're experiencing true love. It feels better, it feels more natural to record love songs when you're in love.