To question what I see, then to question what I see after that, because the questions matter as much, perhaps more than, the answers.

I would not have you descend into your own dream. I would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world.

The spirit and soul are the body and brain, which are destructible-that is precisely why they are so precious.

Anyone can make a baby, but it takes a man to be a father.

You do not give your precious body to the billy clubs of Birmingham sheriffs, nor to the insidious activity of the streets.

You are growing into consciousness, and my wish for you is that you feel no need to constrict yourself to make other people comfortable.

My work is to give you what I know of my own particular path while allowing you to walk your own.

I should not mistake her calm probing for the absence of anger.

Serious history was the West, and the West was white.

She had wanted her son to stand for what he believed and to be respectful. And he had died for believing his friends had a right to play their music loud, to be American teenagers.

I found that the same softness which once made me a target now compelled people to trust me with their stories.

Be aware of things you say because words have power. When you speak truth. It's Beautiful. And, that beauty illuminates!

We can face whatever circumstances await us with courage if we just reflect on God’s faithfulness and place our confidence in His great power and loving purpose for our lives.

She shuddered. “What is it with slobbery kissers? Are they trying to drown us in spit? I mean, Jesus, swallow every now and then.

To dream in isolation can be properly splendid to be sure; but to dream in company seems to me infinitely preferable.

I've changed after 9/11. My friends are still my friends.Bill Maher is my friend. I don't agree with a lot of what he says. And there are times I think, "Oh, my God. How could he say that."

You basically have to play everything (in New Orleans), because you're getting calls to play gigs of all different styles, from classical to R&B to funk; modern jazz to traditional jazz.

Since I won't let the critics seal my fate, they keep hollering I'm full of hate. But they don't really hurt me none, 'cause I'm doing good and having fun.

Possibly the whole creative whirlwind of any musician's life is based on garnering and developing and absorbing more and more experience.

It's very, very difficult I think for us to have a transparent debate about secret programs approved by a secret court issuing secret court orders based on secret interpretations of the law.

Failing is a judgment that we humans place on a given action. Rather than judgment, substitute this attitude: You cannot fail, you can only produce results.