Born on September 9th

"In the field of motivation & action, do not wait for a clear sky; the most resilient journeys begin in the midst of the storm."

"Success is not a destination of comfort, but the daily practice of stepping into the unknown. As a poet & novelist, this is the foundational truth I have observed."

"Your potential is a fire waiting to be kindled by the friction of consistent effort."

"If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him."

"Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of state."

"To know how to dissimulate is the knowledge of kings."

"Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of the State."

"Carry on any enterprise as if all future success depended on it."

"War is one of the scourges with which it has pleased God to afflict men."

"Obviously I like pretty girls, but I'm also looking for someone who can take control. I know guys complain about girls telling them what to do, but I think we all kind of enjoy it."

"I need a girl who will put me in my place, but I also want to laugh and have a good time."

"Every performer can get better. It's not about staying with what God gave you and doing nothing with it for the rest of your life."

"Growing up, I always wanted to sing."

"I live in Derry, a little town in Ireland, and I don't have the background of Hollywood or Broadway."

"I got this letter asking me if I wanted to or if I would consider going to experimental test pilot school and becoming the first Negro astronaut and I thought it was crazy."

"I was welding art from my house, making abstract figures out of metal."

"I went to white schools and I didn't know anything about black history."

"What people don't know is art was my deal and engineering was my sidebar."

"Regardless of what you feel about Obama and his politics - screw all that. The fact of the matter is, he was the first black guy to be the president of the United States. The history is still being made."

"There's always a fine line that divides hostility from neutrality, and I don't want to pass that line."

"From the time I was a little itty-bitty kid, I was going to the airport every day. I began to study all the airplanes, and I'd draw all the airplanes."

"I wanted to be on the cover of Life magazine."

"It's always been a dream of mine to get somewhere and to have my mom and dad with me up there."

"If I were to categorize what I sing, I have many different influences, and a lot of them are from back in time."

"First thing I did when I found out I made it into the top 13 is I tried not to faint and you know, I took it all in and I really looked at the crowd and said a big 'thank you'."

"I love classic rock, rock and roll, that's the top notch. I love soul - bluesy music as well."

"If my life had to be a song I would name it, 'Live every day like its your best day ever', because it pretty much is."

"I definitely I prefer to sing in the car. I don't sing in the shower, maybe its because that's the one time I don't need to talk to anyone so I should just shut up, otherwise I'm just, you know, jibber jabber."

"I'd rather have people really be able to step back and get their money's worth and look at me as a true artist than somebody who is just regurgitating other material."

"My parents have been with me every step of the way."