The better we feel about ourselves, the fewer times we have to knock somebody else down to feel tall.

You’re walking down life’s road, society’s foot is on your throat, every which way you turn you can’t get from under that foot. And you reach a fork in the road and you can either lie down and die, or insist upon your life.

The blues is celebration, because when you take sorrow and turn it into music, you transform it.

No one can dub you with dignity. That's yours to claim.

The better we feel about ourselves, the fewer times we have to knock somebody else down to feel tall.

If your neighbor looks at you like they don't enjoy the key you're singing in, look right back, bless them, and keep on singing.