"The greatest challenge of our time is to keep despair at bay."

"To be a visionary is to see beyond the present moment."

"I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'"

"The blues is a beautiful catastrophe. It's about how you respond to the catastrophe."

"You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people."