There are forces all around you who wish to exploit division, rob you of your freedom, and tell you what to think. But young folks can rekindle the weary spirit of a slumbering nation.

New Orleans - the real New Orleans - is the soul of the country.

Everything comes out in blues music: joy, pain, struggle. Blues is affirmation with absolute elegance. It's about a man and a woman. So the pain and the struggle in the blues is that universal pain that comes from having your heart broken. Most blues songs are not about social statements.

Maybe the preoccupation with technological progress has overshadowed our concern with human progress.

I'm just lucky to have the type of friends and musicians and people dedicated to my music that I do.

For Black people, we're one of the only groups of people that for some reason to express love of yourself, in some ways, is misconstrued as a dislike for someone else.

Don't settle for style. Succeed in substance.