I've just been growing right along. It's painful, but it's a great pain, and I like suffering for great results. It's like going to the gym. It hurts really bad at first, but after a couple of months and after that diet, you're looking so hot.

When I was a child I didn't care about getting an education, and I didn't finish high school.

It was only for two years, and I jumped from family to family. It's very scary.

I wish I had an extra day with my mom sometimes. Or another hour in the day with my family, husband and children.

In the inner city, there's a mentality that the government owes you something. My breakthrough came when I stopped feeling sorry for myself and took responsibility for every part of my life. No more pity parties. I've gotta love me more than anybody else loves me.

I do consider myself part of black history.

I don't think there's anything they can say about me that I haven't said about myself already. And I would be an absolute total liar, and my fans would not respect me, if I said that my life and my marriage are perfect. But we absolutely love each other we have fun together - it's great.

I wish I had an extra day with my mom sometimes. Or another hour in the day with my family, husband and children.

Music makes us want to live. You don't know how many times people have told me that they'd been down and depressed and just wanted to die. But then a special song caught their ear and that helped give them renewed strength. That's the power music has.

I barely have time for my own children. To adopt more children and not have time for them, that would be poor parenting on my part.