The only thing you're taking out of here is your spirit and your soul, so we need to be conscious to try and develop that part of ourselves, because we're all spiritual creatures.

Songwriting is my gift from God.

There are very few courses around Detroit I haven't played.

You know what, life is full of temptations.

There's so many wonderful gospel people out there, and I don't necessarily want to compete with those people.

I don't ever balk at being considered a Motown person, because Motown is the greatest musical event that ever happened in the history of music.

We're very physical creatures, and we worry about how we look sometimes more than our spiritual selves.

Motown will always be a heavy-duty part of my life because those are my roots.

When you write a song, a song has longevity.

We're all going to be victims of temptation at several points in our lives.

I played golf all over Detroit.

I've been speaking at churches for years, as well as juvenile jails, rehabs and hospitals, and I always talk about my faith. That is a declaration of my relationship with God.

Drugs are in every walk of life - doctors, lawyers, preachers, the guy who works for IBM, teenagers on the street, teenagers in school.

The only thing you're taking out of here is your spirit and your soul, so we need to be conscious to try and develop that part of ourselves, because we're all spiritual creatures.

I always try to write a song, I never just want to write a record.

Once you're a Motown artist, that's your stigmatism, and I was there from the very first day.

I really haven't strayed too far, musically, from my roots.

I left Motown because of the regime of people who were there.

Originally I was not writing songs for myself.

Even if I don't release it myself, somebody else might hear it and want to record it. When you write a song, it gives it that potential.

As human beings, we're very materialistic and have all this stuff - furs and cars and diamonds and money.

My mother was a churchgoing lady, so I always heard about God at home.

Once you're a Motown artist, you're always a Motown artist.

And I can say this, most of the people who have recorded my songs are songwriters themselves.

That's because we did not set out to make black music. We set out to make quality music that everyone could enjoy and listen to.

People still look at Michael Jackson as being a Motown artist.

In fact, I wouldn't really call this a Gospel album, I call it more an inspirational album.

When someone picks up one of my songs and records it, I'm a flattered man, it's a blessing to me.

As a kid, this is what I wanted my life to be. Not in my wildest dreams did I ever dare to dream that it would be this.

You know what, I'm probably one of the most blessed people there's ever been, and I thank God for it.

One thing I can say about the Motown acts is that we were a family. That's not a myth.

Had I not come out with an inspirational CD, you perhaps would have never known that I feel like I feel, that all songs, all the music I've ever done is a gift from God.

So I wanted to sing inspirational music, and that's exactly how I approached it - only the words have been changed to declare my relationship with God.

I had been stockpiling Gospel songs for other artists, and had planned to submit them to Gospel artists.

A taste of honey is worse than none at all.

There's some sad things known to man, but ain't too much sadder than, the tears of a clown when no one's around.

As human beings, we're very materialistic and have all this stuff furs and cars and diamonds and money.

Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.

Death comes not to the living soul, nor age to the loving heart.

Style is as much under the words as in the words. It is as much the soul as it is the flesh of a work.

Hope is the struggle of the soul, breaking loose from what is perishable, and attesting her eternity.

Every true prayer is a prayer of the Church; by means of that prayer the Church prays, since it is the Holy Spirit living in the Church, Who in every single soul 'prays in us with unspeakable groanings'.

Into every soul, however purged and fenced, evil appears to have as much freedom of entrance as God Himself.

I suppose, in a way, this has become part of my soul. It is a symbol of my life. Whatever I have done that really matters, I've done wearing it. When the time comes, it will be in this that I journey forth. What greater honor could come to an American, and a soldier?

People think how a sugar basin has no physiognomy, no soul. But it changes every day.

It's better to have a rich soul than to be rich.

Rude contact with facts chased my visions and dreams quickly away, and in their stead I beheld the horrors, the corruption, the evils and hypocrisy of society, and as I stood among them, a young wife, a great wail of agony went out from my soul.

Drugs will get you out of your own way, but we lived it, and that's dangerous. It can actually turn around on itself and steal your soul, and that's what happened.

Friendship! Mysterious cement of the soul, Sweet'ner of life, and solder of society.