Songs like 'Peaceful World' and songs that are responsible with their lyrics and talk about love and harmony can take the forefront and do something for real.

I've always wanted my music to serve a certain purpose.

Our food choices show up on our body.

I had been on what seemed to be a hiatus to the outside world, but I was actually working very hard on my health, my emotional health, and my business.

Could a person really make a social contribution through music consciously? I mean, beyond making a person happy to hear the song and more making a social contribution consciously through your music? For me, Stevie Wonder is the paragon of that. And I didn't want to be Stevie Wonder, but I did want to do what he does.

I'm in show business, and I'm an entertainer, but I also see myself as an artist doing social and spiritual work.

It took me almost wanting to retire to realize that you need to ask for what you need. Everybody needs something different, but whatever it is you need, you need to ask for it and figure out how to get it.

Now that I have better producer chops, a country album is something I want to do one day. I don't know who's going to put it out. But when I do, I don't think people will call it 'country music.' They'll probably call it 'neo-soul.'

The thought crossed my mind about not wanting to alienate my fan base, but I don't know what would alienate them or bring them in, so I decided not to think about it.

I made a conscious decision when I was recording 'Acoustic Soul' to - and this is one of my mantras - follow the music and let the chips fall where they may.

I don't want the world to get any worse. I want to make it better.

I know the things I say go out of my own mouth and into my own ears.

I've spent my entire life trying to figure out why I was different than everybody else. Why is my voice so deep? Why am I so muscular?

Nobody looked like me when I was growing up. None of the kids were as big as me, or as serious as me, or listened to the same music.

When I was growing up, I only saw really brown people on 'The Cosby Show,' and they were rich, and their parents were doctors. It wasn't like my home.

I hope that the things that I sing about will be an inspiration for people to be original.

It's OK to wear white in the wintertime. Do what you want.

I love my brownness.

Some people say, 'If she's so real, why does she call herself with a made-up name?' Well, India is my real name. Or they say, 'If she's so real, why does she wear makeup?' I didn't know there was anything wrong with makeup.

There are a lot of men who like women with a brain.

I always have something by Stevie Wonder in my CD player.

Basically, I listen to voices. If they write good songs and they can sing, I'll probably like it.

I'm actually not a fan of the word 'woke.' I think the connotation of that means being socially aware, which is a beautiful thing to be. But it does not take into account being self-aware.

I was scared of failing, and I was scared of succeeding. I just wanted to be in a safe space and not grow too big or be too little.

This celebrity culture that hypnotizes people into thinking a person is literally not real because you see them on television is a spell the watcher him- or herself must break.

Obviously, I've been heartbroken. We all know what that feels like.

It's cool to hear my songs on the radio. But for me, that's just a way to get more people to have the option of choosing my music.

I want my music to be a contribution, and I want the people who love me on Earth and in Heaven to be proud of who I am, and I want to be proud of myself, and I don't want to look back and say, 'Oh God, why did I say that?'

In the past, when we toured countries like Australia or South Africa, we struggled, but we also got to learn a lot, and we learnt to cope with pressure.

I've never linked team selection to offering prayers, and reports suggesting otherwise are all wrong.

It's up to the individual to decide when he wants to quit.

If you don't have bounce on the pitch, even a spinner cannot come handy.

It's always special playing in Australia and New Zealand.

A tour to India is different from other tours. The expectations to win are very high from our own people, and defeats and poor performances are not forgotten easily.

It's important what you can do for your team. Even if you score 30-40, if it contributes to team's victory, then it is always memorable.

I have had a fulfilling career for Pakistan, although our poor performance in the 2007 World Cup would remain the lowest point of my career.

It's not as if I never used to get under pressure. That is nonsense. It's just that my looks gave an appearance, and people didn't think I was tense.

We can't take such unfair criticism. It would be difficult for me to continue as captain if this unhealthy trend of demoralising the team after a few bad performances continues.

No one can deny there is a lot of pressure when Pakistan and India play, especially with the expectations of the fans at home.

When you have confidence, the atmosphere in the dressing room also improves.

I never really sought out the captaincy at any stage in my career. Now that it has been handed to me, I would obviously like to do it justice and keep performing well. The day I stop performing will be the day I happily relinquish the role.

As my parents are from India, I am told a lot of positive things about the country, the culture and traditions of Muslims in India. I don't remember anything nasty told to me by my parents.

I think there is no better way for our players to improve and learn to perform under pressure than playing regularly with India.

In the one-dayers, it boils down to who performs better on the day of the match.

Besides being a sportsman, I am also a human being.

The thing that forced me to think about my retirement was that I had played my cricket with honour and distinction, and I did not want to put myself in a position where I was considered a liability or unwanted by the selectors.

As a player, you have to assess how fit you are and look at your performance graph - how long you are delivering. Take Imran Khan's case: he played till 39.

I want to develop an atmosphere where the selectors, captain, and coach are on the same page because, unless this happens, there will be no turnaround in our cricket.

Criticism is natural; it's just that you have to deal with it positively and use it to improve.

I think most people thought that because I am quite reserved and private, I wouldn't make a good captain.