In life we don't get what we want, we get in life what we are. If we want more we have to be able to be more, in order to be more you have to face rejection.

I'm a strong supporter of comfort breeds complacency. Growing up poor I wasn't comfortable, and my mom had to work so hard and I woke up one day and decided I was not going to come home until I could help her pay the bills.

Success isn’t something that happens overnight: it’s a process. You have to nurture it along with continuous care, and the best way to do this is to have the right people working with you - not for you, but with you. I can dream alone and strive alone, but true success always requires the help and support of others.

Never duck responsibility, its like running from the rain only to fall into the river.

It is not possible to erase racism just because African-Americans have reached a level of financial success and crossover appeal.

I firmly believe that the two most important times in a person's life are when they are born and when they find out why they were born.

When people listen to people like me, those of us who have a platform, we have to say things that speak truth. We have to empower, inspire, build, and launch the next generation of world solutions that will positively contribute to our economic, political and social fabric and - hopefully - improve the entire nation and the world.