When you educate a woman, you set her free. Had I not had books and education in Mississippi, I would have believed that's all there was.

You are responsible for your life. It doesn't matter what your Mama did. It doesn't matter what your Daddy didn't do. You are responsible for your life.

I believe your personality is formed at a very early age. Fame can magnify that personality, for good or bad, but it can't change it. So when people say to me, 'Don't change,' I'm thinking, To what? To who? Who else would I be?

I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. And that's how I operate my life.

When I read poetry, I read it aloud. It's so much better that way.

If you neglect to recharge a battery, it dies. And if you run full speed ahead without stopping for water, you lose momentum to finish the race.

The reason I so rarely break promises to other people? It breaks trust. Without trust, there's no relationship.