If a song's about something I've experienced or that could've happened to me it's good. But if it's alien to me, I couldn't lend anything to it. Because that's what soul is all about.

I always felt rock and roll was very, very wholesome music.

I sing to the realists; people who accept it like it is.

Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I'm using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I'm happy with that.

My faith always has been and always will be important to me.

Don't say Aretha is making a comeback, because I've never been away!

I'm the lady next door when I'm not on stage.

I'm a big woman. I need big hair.

If a song's about something I've experienced or that could've happened to me it's good. But if it's alien to me, I couldn't lend anything to it. Because that's what soul is all about.

I think the hardest thing is losing weight. That's the hardest thing more than anything else.

And I was booked once to go on 'Ed Sullivan' and I got bumped and ran out the back door crying.

Ariana Grande - I like her a lot.

As a very small girl, I listened to Charlie Parker and loved him and Max Roach and people like that.

Be your own artist, and always be confident in what you're doing. If you're not going to be confident, you might as well not be doing it.

Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well.

Columbia was a wonderful label for me. Wonderful. The records I made there garnered me an audience. I won a number of polls during the years that I was at Columbia. The Downbeat Jazz Poll. Leonard Feather, who was a huge critic back in the day, different polls that he had. The Playboy poll, a number of polls. So the music was great.

Every birthday is a gift. Every day is a gift.

Everybody wants respect. In their own way, three-year-olds would like respect, and acknowledgment, in their terms.

Falling out of love is like losing weight. It's a lot easier putting it on than taking it off.

Gospel goes with me wherever I go. Gospel is a constant with me.

He was definitely an original and a one-of-a-kind. Truly there was only one Prince.

I am doing what I love to do, and you cannot beat that, especially when the audience appreciates what you prepare for them. It's very, very gratifying.

I came up in gospel.

I don't feel one's personal medical condition is everybody's business. It just isn't something you advertise, and it's not open to discussion.

I don't think I was a catalyst for the women's movement.

I donate heavily to the church and various churches in the Detroit community and food banks.

I go to the healthier foods that are less chemically treated. I am drinking lots of water to get rid of the toxins in my body. It's a natural flushing. Water flushes your system and is also very good for your skin.

I guess I could've been a prima ballerina. Or a nurse. Aretha Nightingale!

I had not been in the jazz environment, having been brought up in the church. But once I got to New York, and I was signed to perform at The Village Gate and the Vanguard and clubs like that, and these - the Vanguard was one of the most elite, if not the most elite, jazz club out there.

I haven't had the occasion to meet Adele. She lives in England. So when I'm flying, or when she comes over here, perhaps we'll have a chance. I think she's a very fine singer, a very strong writer and performer.

I just got into Mike Tyson. My security people kept saying, 'Haven't you seen him yet?' Well, I finally did, and he's got a real knockout punch.

I know people I feel are extremely talented, but I don't know that I've ever heard any geniuses.

I like Beyonce's music - some of it, not all of it.

I like writing and don't confine myself to just the words or just the music. But I don't particularly write songs with myself in mind.

I love 'Anne of Green Gables.' I have for years. That's one of my favourite things. She's such a can-do kind of girl; that's why I'm crazy about her.

I love Wal-Mart, and not just because my record is there. You can get some things there that you cannot find at Saks or Bergdorf's or other upscale stores.

I love all music.

I love producing, writing. I rarely write with other writers unless I have a real great respect for them. Like Burt Bacharach, or Carole Sager, or Stevie Wonder. Somebody like Smokey - like that. Otherwise, I choose to write alone.

I loved going to church. I enjoyed being a part of the choir and just doing things in and around the church. But as a young girl, I certainly enjoyed watching and listening to my dad.

I paid my dues; I certainly did.

I remember singing around the house to records that were playing. All kinds of music. And the great James Cleveland was often in our house, and I grew up with his sound as well.

I saw the Supremes when they were still singing in little black skirts and white blouses.

I still have perfect diction!

I think women and children and older people are the three least-respected groups in our society.

I used to have hamburgers coming and going, especially when I was on the road. Now, occasionally I will still have that quarter pounder because I love fast food, but you have to keep it to a minimum. I am now opting for salads and just healthier lunches.

I was in my dad's church, his Baptist church, and I think the first song I ever performed was 'Jesus Be a Fence Around Me.'

I'm never tired of going to the studio. I enjoy recording and documenting everything and trying new things.

I'm not ever going to retire. That's - that wouldn't be good, for one, just to go somewhere and sit down and do nothing. Please. No, that's not moi.

I've been around long enough for people to know who I am and what my contributions are. They know me as more than just an artist. I think they know me as a woman as well.