I have me. I have God. I have my son. Everything else is extra.
Life is a lot easier when you realize that you're not in control of it all.
I remember sitting in my room and thinking of where it all went wrong and how I ended up losing control of everything, and I realized I hadn't asked myself one question: And then what? That was my most important lesson. I learned to think about the consequences before the action and that saves me, to this day, from a lot of trouble. If you play it down the line, you'll start making better choices.
The thing about loving someone is that you have to love them the way they need to be loved and not the way you want to love them.
We know what happens to little black boys that have no dads; we've heard that, we get it. But no one is really saying that young women who are born without fathers have real serious issues especially when their mother had no father and the mother has issues.
Live life without being afraid of judgment from others because judgment from other sinners is invalid.
People are attracted to your light because they want it for themselves. It's like fireflies. When we were kids in New York, we would visit my dad and catch fireflies because we were so attracted to their light. Put them in jars next to our bed, and then they'd die. Then we'd go out the next night and get another firefly. That's how people are.
My happiness came from learning my purpose, which is to be honest and to share things that normal people probably wouldn't share, in an effort to support and uplift other women. I love that my journey gives other women hope, letting them see how far God can bring a soul.
Making bad decisions and choosing the wrong partner can ruin your life for a long time, perhaps forever.
When I die, the world is going to talk about me. They will never forget me and I will never have any regrets. If nothing else, the world will know I was here. I think that everyone should make their mark wherever they are. They will talk about you way after you're gone. Make your mark. Live your life.
It's my job to turn my mess [life] into a message and never regret a day of my life.
I don't even listen to hip-hop anymore. All my friends are white and over 40.
I remember specifically my mother telling me growing up don't put my business in the street. I was like seven, and I am like, 'What does that mean.
I am not to be defined. I am all things. I am the queen of everything. Every woman is.
People who know me, recognize a definite difference in my poise and in my personality, because I've grown.
I want them [female fans] to not be afraid to live life, to not be afraid to make bad decisions because there are a lot of lessons and blessings in those decisions. Sometimes, if you don't fall into the pit, you won't reach out to God.
As for the healing, that comes from the writing, from living and writing. That's my catharsis. That's why I never regret sharing because it's part of my healing!
When Goldie Hawn wrote her memoirs, no one said Goldie Hawn was snitching. When Jane Fonda wrote her memoirs, no one said Jane Fonda was snitching.
I am not, and have no interest in being, a musician of any kind.
When it comes to my interpersonal relationships with men, of course, a lifetime of abuse vastly affected everything I did. I always came from a place of abuse, actually wanting, welcoming, and accepting it because that was my language. It never seemed strange to me.
Truth and honesty is my thing.
Everyone has to grow up and that's what we're all doing; we're just doing it in different ways.
The saying is, life is short, but what if it's not? But if life is short, is this how you would like to spend your last days? And if life is long, is this how you want to spend 50, 60, or 70 years? Being ashamed? Being quiet? Hoping no one notices you? Not telling the truth? Walking around heavy? If I die in my sleep tonight, God forbid, I am happy with how I've lived my life. I've lived it truthfully.
When you start defining yourself, you put yourself in boxes and I don't want to be trapped in anything because I will always evolve - I will always change. It's like water. I take on many shapes. Everyone should be that way and not define themselves. I am everything.
There are a lot of things that I have not shared that I will never share. I do have a personal private life.
