All the things I've read in my school books about England and the Queen were okay, but my eyes are the greatest book in the world.

My father was a management genius. But what I really wanted was a dad.

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I just can't conceive of how a person could hate another because of skin color. I love every race on the planet earth.

Mama always told me, be careful what you do, don't go around breaking young girls hearts.

I never think about themes. I let the music create itself. I like it to be a potpourri of all kinds of sounds, all kinds of colors, something for everybody, from the farmer in Ireland to the lady who scrubs toilets in Harlem.

I love Elizabeth Taylor. I'm inspired by her bravery. She has been through so much and she is a survivor. That lady has been through a lot and she's walked out of it on two feet. I identify with her very strongly because of our experiences as child stars. When we first started talking on the phone, she told me she felt as if she had known me for years. I felt the same way.