I love Aretha [Franklin] and I've loved her all my life. I think she's an incredible songstress, obviously. She consistently has had this incredible voice. I remember when she was singing gospel in her father's church.

I always wanted my mother to be Queen for a Day. I always used to watch that show that came on television.

I never imagined I'd meet Berry Gordy who told me when he first heard me sing, "You know, your singing's okay, but I like your harmonica playing better."

If you think of every single continent there is, on every continent, there is something, a natural resource that every continent has, or sources, that they can really survive with that, or they can trade with that. But a lot of the developed nations have taken those things from those places and have claimed it and, therefore, they're dependent on those other nations.

You've got to remember that 25 is a great time because, you know, you're passed that 21 thing and it's a high point, a high peak, in life where you're old enough to say what you have discovered, but you're still open to discovering more.

The musical flags of the world should fly at half mast because truly one of the greatest guitarists in the world and king of the blues has died. I have cherished him and so has the rest of the world who knew him and loved him for his entire career. As we pain, we must celebrate that his music, his style of playing and singing will last forever, from the recordings that he has done and the influence that he has had and will have on guitarists all over this planet. Long live the spirit of B.B. King.

Baby, everything is alright, uptight, out of sight.

Call up, ring once, hang up the phone to let me know you made it home. Don't want nothing to be wrong with my part time lover.

Are you happy when you stick a needle in your vein?

Smoking cigarettes and writing something nasty on the wall, teacher sends you to the Principal's office down the hall.

I see the light in your smile.

With a voice like Ella ringing out there's no way a band can lose.

Trying your best to bring the water to your eyes, thinking it might stop her from woopin' your behind.

When the truths of love are planted firm, they won't be hard to find. And words of love I speak to you will echo in your mind.

When you feel your life's too hard, just go have a talk with God. Well, he's the only free psychiatrist that's known throughout the world.

There're songs to make you smile, there're songs to make you sad. But with a happy song to sing it never seems as bad.

Brother says he's telling about you playing Doctor with that girl.

For did my dreams come true when I looked at you. And maybe too, if you would believe, you too might be overjoyed, over loved, over me.

My mother would cry about my blindness and the hopelessness of my ever seeing, but I told her I wasn't sad. I believed God had something for me to do.

My mother told me, if you call yourself 'Little' Stevie Wonder, you'd better be as good as Little Willie John.

Rap to me is a modern blues. But until we really confront the truth, we are going to have a Tupac or Eminem or Biggie Smalls to remind us about it - and thank God.

We're not living in a one-dimensional society. You can't just talk about, you know, the horrible things in life and the destruction.

I think that to a great degree, reggae companies have become very corporate and so maybe some don't have that freedom to say whatever they want to say.

Mama is the greatest teacher, teacher of love, fearlessness and compassion.

Problems have solutions.

One of many joyful moments with BB King was him letting me play 'Lucille.' ...The thrill will never be gone...

Music can measure how broad our horizons are. My mind wants to see to infinity.

My love lives outside my window Clouds burst to give water So her love can grow My love smiles to me each morning Says she'll never leave me And I know it's so

The most important thing is, when I do give the music, I'm satisfied with it, that it speaks for what I want to do.

The Lord that I serve says the impossible is unacceptable.

If you don't ask, you don't get.

I'm glad I'm blind and can't see it.

A frowning face can't bring out the beauty that you are.

Sneaking out the back door to hand out with those hoodlum friends of mine.

It's my new single - please buy it so we can get Christmas gifts for the kids this year.

Troubled heart you'll know, problems have solutions, trust and I will show.

Kenny Burrell is a great musician and his music has helped to make me what I am today.

Now some folks say that we should be glad for what we have. Tell me, would you be happy in Village Ghetto Land?

Evil, why do you infest the purest thoughts with hatred?

Exploitation, mutilation, mutations, confirmation to the evils of the world.

It's up to to you to perfect that gift that you've been given. Put your spirit into that song. Focus on the words that you are singing. Get into the experience that you are singing about and sing your heart out.

You can't hear me? Read my lips!

Music at its essence is what gives us memories.

If we begin to stop spewing the negative and really move into using our voices and our pens and our abilities that we have to reach millions of people to the positive, we can make a difference in the world.

Handicaps are really to be used another way to benefit yourself and others.

Heaven help the roses if the bombs begin to fall

I just called to say, 'I love you.

I am all for stem cell research.

When you believe in things that you don't understand, then you suffer.

When I grow up I wanna be like Omar