I listen to my mother, and that keeps me out of trouble. I’m a good son.

My mother is from another time – the funniest person to her is Lucille Ball; that’s what she loves. A lot of times she tells me she doesn’t know what I’m talking about. I know if I wasn’t her son and she was flipping through the TV and saw me, she would just keep going.

I’ve never been a hands-on dad. I’m not ashamed to admit it, but you can’t run a restaurant and be home for tea at 4:30 and bath and change nappies.

There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.

‚Doo-wop‘ is a very special word for me. Because I grew up listening to my dad who, as a Fifties rock & roll head, loved doo-wop music.

Just got back from a pleasure trip: I took my mother-in-law to the airport.

The thing I want more than anything else? I want to have children. I used to feel for every child I had, I would adopt another.

Part of our tradition as black women is that we are universalists. Black children, yellow children, red children, brown children, that is the black woman’s normal, day-to-day relationship. In my family alone, we are about four different colors.

If thy brother wrongs thee, remember not so much his wrong-doing, but more than ever that he is thy brother.

I’ve been my mom’s kitchen helper since I was a little kid.

The reason that I’m here at all is because of my relationship with my family and their encouragement of me to be a musician and to work hard. As long as I stay there in that space, I can do anything. That’s my truth.

But, you know, you can’t be a star at home.

The death of my father is probably the biggest thing that I ever faced. Daddy and I were best friends.

You tell me: Can you live crushed under the weight of the present? Without a memory of the past and without the desire to look ahead to the future by building something, a future, a family? Can you go on like this? This, to me, is the most urgent problem that the Church is facing.

I was very worried about my mother, growing up – a lot. I do not want my children to be worried about me.

I had this child, and it destroyed my family.

All parents are concerned about their children’s well-being. As a parent of three kids, I’m very concerned about their well-being.

When I’m writing, I don’t feel neurotic. So it’s better for the family if I’m working.

All things considered, there’s nobody better for children than parents.

I wasn’t allowed to go to movies when I was kid; my father was a minister. 101 Dalmatians and King of Kings, that was the extent of it.

The land of my fathers. My fathers can have it.

When I was growing up, my family was so poor we couldn’t afford to pay attention.

I love everything about my job, except being away from the kids.

The kids are a big part of my schedule.

It would have been difficult to have an ugly daughter.

I was offered a job on Wall Street by my uncle. But I wanted to get out. Make-it-on-my-own kinda thing.

My mom is American, so I was raised in her household in my formative years.

After momma gave birth to 12 of us kids, we put her up on a pedestal. It was mostly to keep Daddy away from her.

My mother made me truly appreciate women.

I used to carry my father’s Bible and put it on the pulpit so he could preach.

As a father and now a grandfather to three wonderful grandchildren, I know how magical the first year of a child’s life is but also how much hard work it takes. Being able to spend as much time as possible with your loved ones is absolutely vital, especially early on.

When the human race neglects its weaker members, when the family neglects its weakest one – it’s the first blow in a suicidal movement. I see the neglect in cities around the country, in poor white children in West Virginia and Virginia and Kentucky – in the big cities, too, for that matter.

There’s a bond among a kitchen staff, I think. You spend more time with your chef in the kitchen than you do with your own family.

We must respect the other fellow’s religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.

I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries.

I did stand-up for my grandparents every day when I was, like, eight.

Family home evening is more for the purpose of teaching values and gospel principles, displaying talents and enjoying different kinds of family fun and activities.

I feel only my friends and family need to know what is happening in my personal life.

I have a very good family. I’m very fortunate to have a very good family. I believe very strongly in the family. It’s one of the things we have in our platform, is to talk about it.

Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.

Heavenly Father loves every one of His children. After all, He is their Father.

My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.

My dad was the town drunk. Most of the time that’s not so bad; but New York City?

I was set free because my greatest fear had been realized, and I still had a daughter who I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

A mother defends herself with a heart filled with love before doing so with words. I wonder whether there is any love for the church in the hearts of those who pay so much attention to the scandals.

I sing seriously to my mom on the phone. To put her to sleep, I have to sing ‚Maria‘ from West Side Story. When I hear her snoring, I hang up.

I love being American, and I love family. I love having a family, and I feel so blessed, and I feel like God gave me exactly what I wanted, so now I have to do the right thing in God’s eyes also. Just follow what God wants me to do.

My dad was very intelligent, had a very strong personality. I was amazed with my father.

All men are children, and of one family. The same tale sends them all to bed, and wakes them in the morning.

I can’t stress to you enough how much I can relate to teens being cyberbullied. Something that helps me is looking at old videos of me and my friends from middle school, or videos of my family. I love watching funny videos of my favorite people – it really cheers me up.

My parents weren’t actors or studio executives.

Counsel with your parents is a privilege at any age.

My mother loved children – she would have given anything if I had been one.

All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.

All that the future holds in store for each sacred child of God will be shaped by his or her parents, family, friends, and teachers. Thus, our faith now becomes part of our posterity’s faith later.

My father used to wear the same pants for like a week.

Clearly this is a tough economic time, and a lot of families are hurting. So when we talk to parents, we talk about small changes for kids and things that don’t cost extra money. Like adding water and eliminating sugary drinks and sodas. That’s going to save money right there. Or adding a few more vegetables.

That’s one of the biggest things. Never being home, always traveling, having different interests and focusing on different things, just the time aspect of going back home and seeing them, you don’t have that at all. It was a big sacrifice but, at the end of the day, it was worth it.

My next baby will be my new record.

Family quarrels are bitter things. They don’t go according to any rules. They’re not like aches or wounds, they’re more like splits in the skin that won’t heal because there’s not enough material.

My other brother-in-law died. He was a karate expert, then joined the army. The first time he saluted, he killed himself.