My mother didn't force me to be a singer. She didn't force me to be anything. She just encouraged me to be what we thought I was good at. If it had been nursing, she would have encouraged me to be a nurse. If it had been sanitation work, she would have said, "Be the best damn garbage girl in the world!" (1996)

There are different people, such as Mr Davis who has major influence. But he is the guy that just says, "Look, I've got some great songs, I want you to listen to them. If you like them, tell me you like them; if you don't, no problem." And that's how it goes. (1987)

How much success did I expect? I don't know! When you're in the studio and you're working and you're putting together an album, you basically just hope that you'll sell half-a-million copies, you're on that edge. But to have sold as many records as I have sold is a great feeling, believe me. (1988)

I don't look for hard songs to sing. I look for songs that have melody, and chords. I look for song, I look for lyric, I look for positivity. And once I have found that particular song and it's done in the studio, the challenge is how far you can go with it, what I can really do with it, and the best that I can do. (1987)

Nothing, I think, is ever perfect. I think that we are quite even to reach perfection but If I tried to reach perfection, I'd still be in the studio, right now. Perfection is narrowing down to what is the best. (1989)

When you're trying to reach the best that it can possibly be, then you're talking about the tracks, and the vocals, they go hand in hand, they have to match. That can only be the best it can be. We say, "It's perfect!", that's the word we use, but perfection is God, it's really not us! [laughs] (1989)

Part of me is sophisticated, part of me is a little funky, part of me is a little slow, little fast, different tastes, different varieties of music. I guess that's why I like to work with different producers, because they give you a range of sounds and tastes. (1989)

I leave the pressures to everyone else. I let them have the pressures. I sing, and that's what I do best. I have no problem with that. That pressure, I don't deal with. I go in the studio and give the best shot [nod]. That's the only pressure I have. (1987)

I care for people, I have no reason, that's just something that's in me, it's in my heart. I can't explain why I feel this way. I think it's just maybe the God in me. (1996)

People think the blessing is in the receiving but the blessing is truly in the giving. And I make it my business to give back to those who gave to me, who love me enough to buy my records, who love me enough to come to see me, who love me enough to write to me. Those are the people.

It's not hype to me, it's not publicity, it's not something I do to gain recognition, because most of the things I do, I don't even have anybody around to know that I'm doing them. Basically you know that I have a Foundation for Children but you really don't know the things I do on my private time.

Children have no saying about coming into this world and some grow in conditions that are very unfair. So therefore I feel like I can make a difference and I can make them smile, I can make them happy, I may even give them a reason to go on. (1996)

The proudest I am of any award is winning the Grammy for 'The Bodyguard' soundtrack. There was so much work put into it. It was received so well by the people it floored me, I was humbled by it. It was most surprising and I was very proud to win a Grammy not only for my ability to sing, but for my ability to produce and put projects together. (1996)

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