No matter what you look like or think you look like you’re special and loved and perfect just the way you are.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.

You are more powerful than you know; you are beautiful just as you are.

A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.

Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself. Keep fighting for your dreams!

The most effective way to do it, is to do it.

The power you have is to be the best version of yourself you can be, so you can create a better world.

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.

It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.

Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion.

I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

It’s possible to climb to the top without stomping on other people.

Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it by use.

Power is not given to you. You have to take it.

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.

If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.

Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror.

You have what it takes to be a victorious, independent, fearless woman.

The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.

I don’t care what you think about me. I don’t think about you at all.

Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.

Power to me is the ability to make a change in a positive way.

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.

And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk more.

I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.

Yes, I’m a feminist, because I see all women as smart, gifted, and tough.

I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship.

Not knowing you can’t do something, is sometimes all it takes to do it.

If you can’t make it better, you can laugh at it.

Don’t be the girl who fell. Be the girl who got back up.

Soon, the viewer won't even know if he's watching on broadcast or the Internet. He'll just be eating his cereal and see an image on the spoon. That's how we'll be watching soon, on spoons. The commercials will be on the knives.

Anytime someone uses one of my songs for anything - a ceremony or a sacred moment - that, to me, is a high honor. I'm proud of the song at that point because I'm trying to write something for humans - whichever humans want to get on board and put this in their soundtrack to their soul's development or spiritual lives.

There are certain moments in the history of a nation when the choices made define the decades to come.

I wanted to study painting and become a painter, but I had a huge flip-over in my life when I was about 18 or 19. I was part of a criminal environment; I got arrested and convicted, and I had to start thinking in a new way.

My favorite books are psychology, self-help, and I'm fascinated by Jung, by dream work.

The existentialist says at once that man is anguish.

I'm not crazy. But I am different. I'm still learning about myself.

I have a lot of friends who do what I do. Either they're actresses or singers or things like that.

So now I feel I'm lucky in the respect that I can sort of pick a little more carefully, which is tricky because as a black actress, there aren't that many roles to pick from.

When in Rome, live as the Romans do; when elsewhere, live as they live elsewhere.

Being a child at home alone in the summer is a high risk occupation. If you call your mother at work thirteen times an hour she can hurt you.

I really appreciate an actor who has paid their dues and who has learned hard knocks and has been rewarded in the end. I don't understand young actors who get off the turnip truck and land in Hollywood and get a great job. They do not realize how fortunate they are.

I'm omnivorous in my tastes, fiction and non-fiction, always several books on the go, though I'll read a novel in a day or two.

I really only respect the Arab culture. I ain't really trying to pay no attention to, ya know, these little people in political positions and executive positions that ain't Arab culture oriented people because a lot of the times, what are you really showing all of this concern for?

Conscience is the authentic voice of God to you.

I'd love to work with Sir Anthony Hopkins, but if that doesn't happen, I'd sneak on to a film set and watch him at work. He is a compelling actor.