Yolanda Adams

“There is a sound that comes from gospel music that doesn't come from anything else. It is a sound of peace. It is a sound of, 'I'm going to make it through all of this.'”

“I'm very involved with kids because after being a teacher for seven years, I just can't stop loving the kids. I am a teacher forever.”

“I didn't grow up in one of those restrictive Christian households where you couldn't do this or that. We were brought up with a great collection of good morals and good values, but we also had fun. We'd go to church on Sunday, but then have ice cream, roller skate or play in the park afterwards.”

“I think more people in the mainstream, folks like Nancy Wilson and Luther Vandross, they have openly expressed their love for God, and when mainstream artists start expressing their love for God openly in their concerts and including gospel songs in their concert, and, you know, people started embracing it.”

“Luckily, I don't have to be anybody but Yolanda, because people don't expect me to be anything other than who I am. For an artist, it's a great place to be.”

“The more I grow, and the older I get, the more I am enjoying my life and know how precious it really is.”

“I truly believe that my songs bring the answers and the solutions, as opposed to just talking about the problems. My music at its core is joyful.”

“Gospel is just the truth of the word of God. Anybody can sing it, anybody; anybody can perform it.”

“I started out in a professional choir at 13 years old. We traveled to different places, and I had a close relationship with the leaders of our choir. We were recording when I was 15, so it wasn't like I had to wait until 25 to find out certain things.”

“As humans, we have the tendency to call on God only when we think that we're in dire straits as opposed to cultivating a real relationship with Him every day. And that's what my music tries to convey to all the listeners - try to cultivate it every day.”

“It's not just about getting a song on the radio or appearing on television. It really is about helping people change their lives one day at a time.”

“I was brought up by great parents and great grandparents who told me, 'Never, ever think that you're better than anyone else or that what you do is so important that the world won't miss you once you're gone,' and I kind of translate that into the stardom thing.”

“I cook everything from Italian to Cajun food. I have now mastered the roux for gumbo. I love cooking.”