Quotes by Anita Baker

"I made numerous attempts to find a way to do it all, to be a creative singer, songwriter, producer, and to be the mother, daughter, sister, lover, wife. And the thing about music is, with me, that she's a harsh mistress. She does not come to me in the midst of stress."

"Historically, in my generation, all of my heroes and heroines have had issues and problems. We all do."

"Time has nothing to do with the gifts that the gods give you; it's what you do."

"I'm picking and choosing in terms of the stress factor. If it's not fun, I'm not going to do it."

"Long tresses down to the floor can be beautiful, if you have that, but learn to love what you have."

"I'd love to be the political voice of my generation, but that's not my gift."

"As soon as you get off stage, that's the most dangerous time for a singer to kiss people because your vocal chords are receptive to any kind of germ."

"I would say that my peak was making my first million at the ripe age of 29, after the first album."

"My father worked on assembly lines in Detroit while I was growing up. Every day, I watched him do what he needed to do to support the family. But he told me, 'Life is short. Do what you want to do.'"

"I would make far more money if every song were my own, but I don't write to fill up the album with my songs."

"It's impossible to write and produce a record when your parents are dying. I really tried, I really, really tried, but it just wouldn't come."

"I think there's no sacrifice too great for family, whether it's career, singing, whatever."

"I don't think being black has held me back at all. Being black makes you strong."

"You leave home to seek your fortune and, when you get it, you go home and share it with your family."

"I used to sing at funeral homes for families that didn't have a vocalist. I didn't get paid. I needed to sing."

"Chris Brown is brilliant. That cat is crazy brilliant, and I wish him the best."

"I'm used to getting up at 7, getting breakfast, getting the kids off to school, and doing the mommy thing and the wife thing and the daughter thing."

"If you have your own agenda and your own style and you don't easily conform to what the masses are doing, you're looked upon as being difficult. Whereas, I think of it as just being an individual."

"If I could be doing anything, I'd be laying on the floor in my birthday suit eating junk food and watching something dumb on TV."

"Completeness? Happiness? These words don't come close to describing my emotions. There truly is nothing I can say to capture what motherhood means to me, particularly given my medical history."

"Oh my goodness, they are rocking so many variations of my high-top fade. I mean, Rihanna has taken it to a very angular 21st Century thing. Miss Fantasia has it in a very seductive, you know, up-flip, and it's just lovely, right? Oh, I think it's wonderful."

"I don't let people use me. That's why I like a small number of people in my life. The more people in my life, the more complex it becomes, so I just try to keep it at a minimum."

"We don't do drugs, drink or use profanity. Instead we instill morals and values in my boys by raising them with a love of God and a love and respect for themselves and all people. I believe they will have a chance."

"Applause felt like approval, and it became a drug that soothed the pain, but only temporarily."

"I need my career. That's what validates me."