I was probably toward 8 1/2 when I actually joined the church and was baptized - and, my God, did I take it seriously! I was a zealot who irritated every one of my third-grade friends. They didn't beat me up, but I got labeled "the preacher girl."

Never for a moment allow your greatness to interfere with your goodness.

Ask the right questions, and the answers will always reveal themselves.

I've never listened to jazz. It's just not something I ever paid attention to.

I've learned to rely on the strength I inherited from all those who came before me-the grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and brothers who were tested with unimaginable hardships and still survived. 'I go forth alone, and stand as ten thousand,' Maya Angelou proclaimed in her poem 'Our Grandmothers.' When I move through the world, I bring all my history with me-all the people who paved the way for me are part of who I am.

I have incredible stamina- the what-do-I-got-that-they-ain't-got kind of stamina.

I don't have a lot of "I can't" inside me.