I’ve always been a woman of faith.

I've always been a performer. That's just what I know.

I like being in relationship because of the comfort it provides.

I don't have a lot of friends; most of the friends I have, I've had since high school.

I'm the little half-black, half-Jewish girl who was odd and awkward. I try to be myself.

I love Barbra Streisand. Anybody who knows me knows I just love her, love her, love her!

When love is absent, then there is fear, and in my opinion you should lead your entire life through love.

So many people think being single is the end of something, but it's really a beginning - a good beginning.

I have a hard time watching myself! Usually I do the work, and then I leave it. So I pretend like I'm not on TV every week.

The serenity prayer, 'God grant me the strength to accept...' That's a prayer that's actually in my car. I say it every day.

Whatever your ethnicity is, in this life you are going to be on a journey to discover who you are and how you feel about yourself.

Being a black woman, there's so many different sides of us. We are funny, silly, romantic, professional, smart, and we have good jobs.

I would love to play Janis Gaye in the Marvin Gaye story. If they ever do the Marvin Gaye story, I would love to play Janis - just throwing that out there.

I struggle with deciding when to answer or ignore the constant speculation about my private life, because I feel like that doesn't belong to anybody but me.

I feel like there is always a rumor that I'm dating someone that I never met before. People have their judgments and ideas of who I am, and they know nothing.

For some odd reason, I like a man in sweatsuits. Obviously, you want your man to look good in a suit, but I like when men look comfortable, and the swagger just stands out of that.

People see the 'Lil' Wayne' persona and think they know who he really is. My son's father is an intelligent, loving and lovable person who will always be a dear friend. That is all.

I'm still young; I've had a couple things under my belt. I don't even think I've begun where I'm gonna be eventually. I really feel very much in the beginning of my journey. I feel very new.

I do remember being teased by my cousins on my mom's side for not being black enough. And then I'd spend the summer with my dad and be sent to all white summer camps where I was 'that black girl.'

We keep secrets from people that we love because we're afraid of our own truth. I think sometimes we're afraid to hurt people, because you never know. I think we're afraid of what is, and what can't be.

I love the art of acting, so whether I do it on film with a million people seeing me or I do it in front of 20 people in a class showcasing my art, I am going to act whether anyone sees it or everyone sees it.

My first acting job - I used to do commercials, and I had done a couple music videos - but my first job job was 'ATL' with T.I. I auditioned for that, like, five times. I didn't have an agent. And then, from there, my life changed.

Is being single hard? It depends where your mind is. If you are focused, being single is an enjoyable experience, but if you hate being alone, you'll hate being single. I think it depends on the individual are where they are in life.

I think that in any family - black, white, Chinese, Spanish, whatever - family is family. You know that there's dysfunction, and that there's this cousin who doesn't like this auntie. But, at the end of the day, like I say, love brings everybody together.

People should accept being single, because those are the moments you can really focus on yourself, and learning who you are. Then when you get in a relationship, you will be stronger and have a little bit more self-awareness, self-love, and the other ingredients for a healthy relationship.

I was 16 and got my boyfriend's name tattooed on me. Don't do it. 'Cause it hurts. The moment you do it, the next month, the next year, you'll be broken up - trust me - and cover-ups hurt. You can show your love in other ways. Ink is not it. Write it on a piece of paper and mail it to him.

I'm a great mother because of my intentions on being a great mother; I'm a good friend because I'm loyal; I'm a good daughter because I've hopefully made my mother proud; I'm a great human being because I accept that there's a spiritual being underneath it all. I've always been a woman of faith.

Barbra Streisand has always been an inspiration for me. I admire Jennifer Lopez because she's been against all the odds, and she's made such a name for herself, and she can put her name on anything and it sells, and I admire that about her, but Barbara Streisand and Woody Allen are my favorites.

I had a pregnancy that wasn't private... A lot of people had their opinions about it. They were surprised that I came up pregnant, which was a surprise to me, because I'm a woman, and women get pregnant, and Lauren comes first before the actress, so having my son was the best thing that ever happened to me.

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