“I am very conscious of who I am as an artist and as an inspirational person.”

“I gave a Christmas party last year - well, two Christmases ago - where I did a Sam Cooke show. I didn't perform as R. Kelly. I performed the Sam Cooke show from 1964, when he performed at the Copacabana.”

“When you hear romantic music, it makes you want to take your girl out to dinner or buy her something or take her out in the moonlight or take her on a walk.”

“My mom actually had a band called Six Pack - even though there were seven of them - who went around Chicago performing popular songs. Her voice was like Gladys Knight mixed with Aretha Franklin.”

“I'm not gonna be broke, like my mom was broke, my uncles were broke, my sisters didn't have money, my cousins on down.”

“I've always wanted to write movies - I always used to tell my mom that I wanted to be a director.”

“There's a time and place for everything. You're younger, you might want to go to clubs and kick it, but as you get older, you start seeing that life has more meaning to it. The people that you love are the people you want to start trusting and start wanting them to trust you and start respecting them.”

“You're younger, you might want to go to clubs and kick it, but as you get older, you start seeing that life has more meaning to it. The people that you love are the people you want to start trusting and start wanting them to trust you and start respecting them.”

“They say marriage will change you but it didn't change me. Being in love changed me.”

“Once I started singing, I didn't have to try to be cool. I was just one of the coolest guys around.”

“I am very conscious of who I am as an artist and as an inspirational person.”