Malcolm X made me very strong at a time I needed to understand what I was angry about. He had peace in his heart. He exerted a big influence on me.

I'm not a career kind of person. When I saw new music, new trends coming in, I didn't see any place for me. And I didn't think about it as a career loss, because I was married - I have a great- grandchild now. The low points were when I lost people that I really cared about.

Always be smarter than the people who hire you.

You have to be taught to be second class; you're not born that way.

Nobody black or white who really believes in democracy can stand aside now; everybody's got to stand up and be counted.

In my early days I was a sepia Hedy Lamarr. Now I'm black and a woman, singing my own way.

I don't have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I'd become. I'm me, and I'm like nobody else.