“My old black cat, he passed away this morning. He never knew what a heartache was. Woke up late and he danced till noon. If questioned why, answered just because. He never spoke much, preferring silence. Eight lost lives was all he had.”

“I have a tendency to go through my life at full speed and as a one-man band, and so I don't generally stop and take in other people enough to develop many relationships. I'm starting to regret that a bit. I want to change it.”

“I have a great belief in the future of my people and my country.”

“The minute a person whose word means a great deal to others dare to take the open-hearted and courageous way, many others follow.”

“Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.”

“Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man inhuman.”

“A singer starts by having his instrument as a gift from God... When you have been given something in a moment of grace, it is sacrilegious to be greedy.”

“A lot of pop music is about stealing pocket money from children.”

“I suppose I might insist on making issues of things. But that is not my nature, and I always bear in mind that my mission is to leave behind me the kind of impression that will make it easier for those who follow.”

“None of us is responsible for the complexion of his skin. This fact of nature offers no clue to the character or quality of the person underneath.”

“When you stop having dreams and ideals - well, you might as well stop altogether.”