Even when I took first prize, topped the class, won the race, I never really won anything. I was merely avoiding the embarrassment of losing.

When you have the paparazzi hiding in the bushes outside your home, the only thing you can control is how you respond publicly.

There's a fine line between being private and being ashamed.

Just look at all the awards shows now. It has turned into a catwalk. You have to be wearing a certain designer, a certain dress, and everyone's critiquing.

Average. It was the worst, most disgusting word in the English language. Nothing meaningful or worthwhile ever came from that word.

And I somehow always felt less lonely when I was completely alone.

Most important, in order to find real happiness, you must learn to love yourself for the totality of who you are and not just what you look like.

My sexuality is a part of me that I really like. But it's not the totality of me.

True nobility isn't about being better than anyone else; it's about being better than you used to be.

Restriction generates yearning. You want what you cannot have.

I married him for a green card. We had a really great, caring relationship; it just obviously wasn't right for me.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

I got offstage and was just looking at my hands, and they were shaking. I was like, 'I wanna kill someone! What's happening?'

Il n'est pas certain que tout soit incertain. (Translation: It is not certain that everything is uncertain.)

Wherever you are, design your life. Live the values of your generation.

From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never left me.

But I always held my music up and protected it from compromise. So I just do it for my friends. I've written hundreds of songs, and I'm sure I have a few albums worth of songs.

The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever.

The Beatles were just a band that made it very, very big, that's all.

You've got to stay humble and hungry. Just keep working and thank God you have a chance to play in the NBA.

A penny saved is not a penny earned if at the end of the day you still owe a quarter.