"I can't retire. What would I do? Sit around and watch my toenails grow?"

"I'm not a victim. I'm a survivor."

"I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood."

"I don't sing to sound like nobody. I sing to sound like Ray Charles."

"I'm not a saint, but I'm not a sinner either."