Yolanda Adams

“People love gospel music. It's calming. It's soothing. It gets right to the point of whatever you're dealing with.”

“My direction has never really changed, because I don't think that you can really work gimmicks in gospel music. With gospel music, there is this central theme that always comes around about the love of God, the love of Jesus and the power that you have through Jesus Christ. You don't need a gimmick when you have that.”

“Those of us who are blessed, we owe it to our fellow citizens and folks who we are around to do something special for them.”

“You don't just become number one because you sing like everybody else. There is something different you bring to the table. Make sure you are constantly getting into the newest technologies. Learn the history of what you do, and always respect the ones who came before you.”

“Good food is healthy food. Food is supposed to sustain you so you can live better, not so you can eat more. Some people eat to live, and some people live to eat.”

“When I write a song, it comes from the heart and is based on a specific experience. You can't really say that one experience is greater than another, because all of your experiences take you through life on this journey.”

“All of my lyrics are based on the one thing that's never failed me, and that's the Word of God.”

“Nobody talks about how Puffy went to Howard University or about Lil Wayne attending the University of Houston. All the young kids know is what they see on the videos. They don't realize that these guys have taken managerial and business courses, and know how to brand and how to market themselves. They're very smart.”

“Tramaine Hawkins has been a mentor, a confidante and an example of greatness. She has been through a lot in her life, and her career has spanned over 50 years. To me, that's what you call a legend.”

“God is love. He loves everybody. He loves you.”

“I'm very respectful in everything I wear. I think about it.”

“Of course, my faith has a lot to do with being able to be public without being a public nuisance.”

“You have to take criticism with a grain of salt because you're never going to please everybody.”

“The great thing about Gospel is that you don't have to have an album every year in order to keep working.”

“When you win a Grammy... you're thinking about you winning. It is amazing. Your peers and folks in the record business are saying, 'This is what we think of you.' And that's why the Grammy will always be, to me, the ultimate in what you get as far as a music trophy, because it is the one.”

“I truly do have the most amazing child on the face of the earth. I know all parents say that about their child, but Taylor truly is special.”

“You can live a wonderful life, you can love God with all your heart, and you can love your husband or wife very passionately and have a balance in your life. I live by balance.”

“The only time I really eat out is when I'm on the road. Then, I make the same choices that I would make at home - salmon and lots of oily fish and veggies.”

“Education helps you to be a well-rounded person, period. It teaches you how to take in information and data, process it, and use it for life building. Education was key in my family. You were going to college.”

“I do a medley of hymns in all of my sets, whether I'm in an arena, in a theater, in an amusement park.”