To sing the ballad with a knowingness about what you are talking about. If it's somebody else's lyric, and the message is a little unusual for you, it requires that you learn that new message.

Once you discover that you can, then you must.

Before I get out of bed, I am saying thank you. I know how important it is to be thankful.

I would still be singing, because it's part of my heart and my soul, and it lifts me up. Find something you would do for free.

I don't know where we got the notion that God wants us to suffer. Every living thing tends toward the good or we would have been gone a long time ago.

You have to make a decided effort to not get seduced by the Blues.

It's all background experience and listening and exposure. That's why it's so important for people today and during any time to expose your children to lots of different kinds of things.

I sang do-wop on the street corner before it was called do-wop.

I did a concert at five years old in the garden of one of the church members, and we raised some money to buy a new piano in our little church.

I know more polkas than Frankie Yankovic. I grew up next door to the Polka Tavern in Milwaukee. I can sing some polkas. And proud of that.

That's the way I try to live. I think it's the only way for human beings at this point in our evolution as souls, where everyone in their lifetime is going through stuff.

We all fail in some of our endeavors, but unfortunately, some of us tend not to see the reason to try again.

It's not doing what is right that's hard for a President. It's knowing what is right.

Reality is overrated to me. Everyone spends enough time on the computer, eating, going out to bars. Why do I need to read a book about that?

...The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th. God bless his soul, rest in peace, kid. It's because of him now at least I know what beef is.

Somewhere in the world is the most invincible man. Just as somewhere is the most vulnerable.

Behind the footlights there is always the applause, which stimulates the actors. On the screen it is a different matter.

A whale out of water is over-run by ants.

Bluffton is growing. But we must hold on to that small-town character.

An average person with average talents and ambition and average education, can outstrip the most brilliant genius in our society, if that person has clear, focused goals.

They asked me when I was out there, 'Why do you want to be traded?' I said me staying here is like divorcing my wife and marrying someone who looks like me. That's backwards, man.