A biography for Janet Jacksonhasn’t been written yet.
“No word is absolutely wrong or dirty or insulting. It all depends upon context and intention.”
“I think it's been a little difficult at times for the audience, because they've told me they see me as a family member. So to see your little sister sing about sex... I think they are pretty used to it now.”
“My parents are very competitive, so we are very competitive as kids. But it's a good kind of competition; it's not a jealousy. You always want to do your best, and if it can't be you, you want it to be your brother or your sister, you know what I mean?”
“A lot of people who start work at a very young age never grow up because they never got that opportunity to be a child, so they hold on to that and still do a lot of childish, silly things.”
“I was very independent growing up, but there were things that were bothering me that I never told anybody. I would talk to our animals at home.”
“You don't have to hold onto the pain to hold onto the memory.”
“In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you.”
“It has taken me most of my adult life to come to terms with who I am. To do that, I had to break free of attitudes that brought me down.”
“I have a pretty bad temper. But you have to really push me to see it. But everybody has their things.”
“Control meant not only taking care of myself but living in a much less protected world. And doing that meant growing a tough skin.”
“I've never been one for keeping a journal, so my songs were my journals. They allowed me to express my feelings and let people know what was going on with me. I knew that somebody would relate.”
“You get used to working with one choreographer. You kind of get stuck in that vein and you work your way out of it, picking up someone else's style, their flavor. It takes a bit of time.”
“Every body type is different - that's what makes you unique. What makes you special is you, and you are different from the next person.”
“Competition is great. And as long as it's friendly and not a malicious thing, then I think it's cool.”
“There are people that regardless of what it is, if it's something that's stressful, whatever it may be, they don't eat, they lose a lot of weight, a divorce, they get real thin. I'm the opposite.”
“We all have the need to feel special.”
“When I'm getting ready for a tour, I'll work out with the dancers.”
“People can have rhinoceros skin, but there's a point when something's going to hurt you.”
“When I was younger, I thought you had to be in control of your own life. That takes a lot of discipline, hard work and focus. You just can't let it all fall by the wayside. Later on, I learned that God is really in control of everything. But you still have to put your best foot forward and be the best you can possibly be.”
“To have someone to relate to and hopefully enjoy the music and get a positive message out of it, to make the best music that we possibly could, those were the goals.”