"I have a lot of things to prove to myself. One is that I can live my life fearlessly."

"Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism."

"The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams."

"My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you I the best place for the next moment."

"You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it."

"The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be."

"Turn your wounds into wisdom."

"I don't think you ever stop giving. I really don't. I think it's an on-going process. And it's not just about being able to write a check. It's being able to touch somebody's life."

"It's much easier for me to make major life, multi-million dollar decisions, than it is to decide on a carpet for my front porch. That's the truth."

"Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility."

"I'm black, I don't feel burdened by it and I don't think it's a huge responsibility. It's part of who I am. It does not define me."

"If you want to accomplish the goals of your life, you have to begin with the spirit."

"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not."

"She is the mother I never had, she is the sister everybody would want. She is the friend that everybody deserves. I don't know a better person."

"Follow your instincts. That's where true wisdom manifests itself."

"I'm sick of people sittin' in chairs stating their problems. Then we roll the videotape... then we have our experts on the topic... I'm in the 'What's next?' phase of my career."

"I don't believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process."

"Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness."

"I don't think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good."

"Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi."

"When I look into the future, it's so bright it burns my eyes."

"So go ahead. Fall down. The world looks different from the ground."

"The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude."

"Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it."

"As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around."

"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate."

"Where there is no struggle, there is no strength."

"I always knew I was destined for greatness."

"My first day in Chicago, September 4, 1983. I set foot in this city, and just walking down the street, it was like roots, like the motherland. I knew I belonged here."

"What God intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine."

"What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come."

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."

"I believe that every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear."

"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher."

"What material success does is provide you with the ability to concentrate on other things that really matter. And that is being able to make a difference, not only in your own life, but in other people's lives."

"I'm not even kind of a lesbian."

"Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother."

"It isn't until you come to a spiritual understanding of who you are - not necessarily a religious feeling, but deep down, the spirit within - that you can begin to take control."

"I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes."

"If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are."

"I am a woman in process. I'm just trying like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it. Life is never dull."

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you."

"Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity."

"Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded, or how much power you have."

"My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with."

"The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth really will set you free."

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."

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

"I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity."