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

I'm me, and I'm like nobody else.

I was unique in that I was a kind of black that white people could accept. I was their daydream. I had the worst kind of acceptance because it was never for how great I was or what I contributed. It was because of the way I looked.

You wouldn't be allowed to get on a particular bus, but you'd be asked to sign your autograph.

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.

Don't be afraid to feel as angry or as loving as you can, because when you feel nothing, it's just death.

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