Being an impatient person, I wanted to do what my grandmother said: "Do as much as you can as fast as you can; be as productive as possible." But you must be patient. So I have struggled to balance patience with being an impatient person, and trying to find a happy medium.

Sometimes you're pushing and what you want to do is not coming with ease; doors are not opening. A lot of times we're pushing against resistance. If one looks closely, there is often a message in that resistance: "Wait a minute, maybe it's not what you're supposed to be doing."

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.

You know, you don't have to have money to be a successful businessperson. You don't need a college degree. You just need a lot of common sense backed up by a willingness to work hard.

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

We have to find areas in our lives that we feel most uncomfortable about and want to change. I decided to push myself because it allowed me to give back. I have a scholarship program. When I found out the average age of a homeless person is 9½ years old, I said there must be something that I can do. Now, I am the spokesman for the National Coalition for the Homeless.