Brandi L. Bates

“Some books must be sipped slowly like a strong bourbon. Most books must be devoured more than once because as you age you distill more.”

“When the door to my writing chamber gasps shut and the almost imperceptible sigh of a rose petal falls on my desk, I know that my muse is present.”

“can't even sleep through the night without you and those sun-dried ginger ale complected limbs crocheted into my thighs...”

“Understand: I don't ever want to be equal to any other being. I always want to be greater...in all things, in all circumstances.”

“No one is born with equality. We all come here with varying degrees of opportunities, qualities, strengths, weaknesses, IQ, etc.”

“David’s mouth dripped open slowly. He stood with his heels dug into my carpet, a dashed hope, a broken dream. No amount of money could top the priceless look that gathered on his face like an unmade bed. His eyebrows crumpled and furrowed like disheveled sheets. His lips curled into an acidic smirk. Confusion and shock collided in the cornea of his dilated pupils. He was a B.B. King song, personified. His entire body sang the blues.”

“No matter what the industry you choose to ultimately invest all your time and energy in, be sure you're the owner, founder, and CEO. Remember, if you don't own it, you can't control it nor can you depend on it.”

“Never accept yourself as a finished product. Be a finished product when you die. As long as you have breath in your lungs, expand yourself.”

“I don't want to be around people who accept me as is, in my unrefined state of becoming. I consistently want people around me who push and encourage me to be my ultimate best, who bring out the inner diamonds. I want to be around those intellectual giants who extract the gold within me, those who force me to read, to attend classes, seminars, conferences, and who steep me in an environment of perpetual growth and upward mobility. Not trying to be funny, but I've learned that I simply cannot afford to invest too much time around mediocrity. It's contagious.”

“The reason why many people remain on the bottom is because they play to 'not lose', as opposed to playing to win at all costs.”

“Whatever it is you want in this life, be it material things, a place you want to be, or an experience you want to have, you must first make it real in the realm of your consciousness.”

“thighs made of hymns, I read 'em like I'm reading runes. Now tell me where my future lies...your neck, can I Savion on it?”

“You and those shot-glass eyes, deep swirling pools of 80-proof firewater, with the depth and profundity of Saturn’s spinning pulsars…”

“Most people don't have real friends. You have people in your life waiting for opportunities to see what YOU can do for them.”