When you come from so many damaged places you don't ever want to spiral back there, so you gotta continue to check yourself.

It's sad that a lot of identities are lost and a lot of careers are lost because there's sort of a clone thing going on.

I've learned so much from all my mistakes. I just wish I had gotten my education.

You have to create different things, either through lighting or changing the format of the songs and how you're going to sing them, and even sometimes props.

I’ve done well, I’ve been disappointed, and I think it all goes back to you. Of course the labels are going to be the labels. It’s the music business. You are a business. That’s what they do. So you’ve got to protect yourself.

The younger Mary J. Blige, I would call her, she was very unaware, ignorant.

It was only for two years, and I jumped from family to family. It's very scary.