“I wish I had known that education is the key. That knowledge is power. Now I pick up books and watch educational shows with my husband. I'm seeing how knowledge can elevate you.”

“I love inspirational R&B, like Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Hudson. I want to do that. That kind of music stays with you.”

“When you hold on to anger and unforgiveness, you can't move forward.”

“It hurts when you have to smile and you don't want to smile, but the best thing to do is to smile.”

“There's so many things that life is, and no matter how many breakthroughs, trials will exist and we're going to get through it. Just be strong.”

“I always want to be a messenger, a person that, you know, that's not afraid to pass on wisdom.”

“When I was a child I didn't care about getting an education, and I didn't finish high school.”

“In the inner city, there's a mentality that the government owes you something. My breakthrough came when I stopped feeling sorry for myself and took responsibility for every part of my life. No more pity parties. I've gotta love me more than anybody else loves me.”

“I wish I had an extra day with my mom sometimes. Or another hour in the day with my family, husband and children.”

“I remember a time when all my fans were crying and sad and going through hell. Now, we're trying to uplift each other and accept ourselves for who we are, even if nobody else does.”

“I just want fans to walk away knowing that no matter what's going on, no matter how happy you are, no matter how sad you are, we did it. We're strong in this. We've come a long way, and life is not just one thing.”