They can't scare me, if I scare them first.

Some women chasing men, and some - for dreams. If you are at a fork, remember, your career will not wake up one morning to say that more does not love you.

Akon is a very talented songwriter to work with. His melodies, they're just insane. It's funny, I think about him a lot when I'm doing my melodies because he's so simple, and he's just been great. He keeps me on my feet, very grounded, but he also puts me on a silver platter, which is always very nice. So it's been an incredible influence. It's like every time you work with somebody that's better that you are, you become greater.

I'm not interested, Larry, in being a perfect, plastic pop singer that looks great in bikinis and is on the cover of every magazine. I'm more interested in helping my fans to love who they are, and helping them to reject prejudice and reject those things that they're taught from society to not like themselves, to feel like freaks, that they're not wanted.

My father [Joe Germanotta] opened a restaurant. It's so amazing... it's so freaking delicious, but I'm telling you I gain five pounds every time I go in there.

I was a strange, loud little kid who could sit at the piano and kill a Beethoven piece.

I've had grand pianos that are more expensive than, like, a year's worth of rent.