Every birthday, you decide whether to mark it the end of your greatest days or the beginning of your finest hour.

I was happy over little things: mango sorbet, and running, and the way my feet felt touching the ground when I ran.

What I know for sure is that behind every catastrophe, there are great lessons to be learned. Among the many that we as a country need to get is that as long as we play the "us and them" game, we don't evolve as people, as a nation, as a planet.

I am where I am because of the bridges I have crossed.

The only thing that can free you is the belief that you can be free.

If you make a choice that doesn't please your mate, your friends, your mother, or whoever, the world will not fall apart - the people who truly love you want you to love yourself.

I'm black, I don't feel burdened by it and I don't think it's a huge responsibility. It's part of who I am. It does not define me.