I could have been you, you could have been me. One small change that shapes your destiny.

You are more powerful than you know; you are beautiful just as you are.

Be strong, believe in who you are; be strong, believe in what you feel.

It was tough being a single mom. It was tough being in a divorce with children. Very, very hard.

Don't let anyone tell you that you have to be a certain way. Be unique. Be what you feel.

The sign says do not enter, no trespassing allowed. With visions of redemption I walk against the crowd.

We are getting older, and we are getting wiser, and we are getting freer. And when you get the wisdom and the truth, then you get the freedom and you get power, and then look out. Look out.

I can be a rock star with a television show and still have a self-esteem problem. So it's nice to have your dad go, 'Hey Melissa, I'm proud of you - you're doing good.'

There will always be someone else with a different view than you. I appreciate them and would never say that they are wrong. I hope that they would give me that courtesy also.

I feel my heart break to see a nation ripped apart by it's own greatest strength - it's diversity.

There's a point when your tape of life runs off the reel and there's this stillness of your own - I got to know myself.

Growing up in Kansas City, I was always neat, the teacher's pet, know-it-all type.

There is a sound that comes from gospel music that doesn't come from anything else. It is a sound of peace. It is a sound of, 'I'm going to make it through all of this.'

Factory workers are not working for capitalism, they are working for a living wage.

People tell me they open my e-mails first, because they aren't demands and you don't need to reply. They're simply for pleasure.

Business is a fight, a continual struggle, just as life is

Though I was excited about the Sojourner Truth play, it was not reassuring to think that my entire future might depend on the success of that one show.

There's a reason the Third World came in third.

Live life as if today is your last day living. :-)

Your body is a beautiful manifestation powered by spirit.

Anyone who writes knows that ultimately the majority of your time is spent alone in a room with a piano or a guitar, no matter what the project is.