I think every individual has his or her own power, and it's a matter of working, taking time and defining what that power is.

God is ever present. He's in every breath, in every step. He's here, always, always.

To be a queen of a household is a powerful thing.

You have to be humble when you're dealing with God.

Power doesn't have to be on such a big scale for powerful things to occur. Within your own home, you can be a powerful woman as a mother, influencing your children's lives.

In order to grow emotionally and mentally, sometimes you have to grow physically as well. I'm just trying to grow, man, and always I just want to be the best and most confident me I can be.

When I was growing up, my mother would take me to plays and museums, and we'd talk about life. Those times helped shape who I became.

For a writer it's a dream to sit and watch people as close as possible.

For me, hair is an accoutrement. Hair is jewelry. It's an accessory.

I am more spiritual than religious.

I do want love. Genuine love.

I don't rhyme right now, but I may ten years from now.

I have been training since 8th grade, but it has to do with listening, more than practice.

I'm being all of me, and it feels stupendous. I don't want to leave this feeling.

All I have to do is be me on stage. But acting, I have to be someone else, and walk how they would walk and blink how they would blink. I used to talk about it bad like, 'Aw man, that person made $10 million a movie?' But now I understand why they do. I get it now.

Lately I've been going to all these high schools talking to the students, answering their questions, listening to what they have to say. It has been an incredible journey to be around them and try to give them what my mother gave me.

Mos Def is one of the most creative, intelligent human beings I've had the opportunity to work with. He is fun. The entire time, he would go in and out of different characters, just for the fun of it. Awesome energy.

The artists who stand out to me have a passion for what they do. There are a lot of people who can sing. It's just like when you go to church and people are singing because it sounds good, not because it feels good. There's a difference.

There's a high school in Camden, New Jersey, I call the Jill Scott School. It's the Camden Creative Arts High School. Those teachers and kids are so passionate about what they do, and 98 percent of the senior class went on to college.

When I first became famous, I didn't know if I could go where I wanted to because I didn't know how people were going to act. Some folks would scream and holler, and I didn't know what to do with that.