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" My dad liked a lot of Motown, but I didn't listen to it until my teenage years. "

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" I've always had an interest in story-telling and history and just film and art in general, but particularly when it comes to storytelling, I think the reason why we became involved in film is because we wanted to get some great stories out there. "

" Some people start with the lyrics first because they know what they want to talk about and they just write a whole bunch of lyrical ideas, but for me the music tells me what to talk about. "

" My first attempt at a kiss was in fifth grade, but it didn't go so well. Later, I used Boyz II Men and Jodeci songs to come on to girls. I had more success. "

" My first album, 'Get Lifted,' was a hip-hop soul album that had some of its roots in the church, as far as the sonic choices, in the way that I sing and write songs. I have always had that as part of my background and part of my influence when I am making music. "

" It's really about making the best music you can make. It's really about working hard. "

" I always saw myself as a singer-songwriter, a solo-artist, that's why working with other artists was never satisfying for me. "

" I think I'm happier, not just because of winning Grammys and selling records, but because it's really fulfilling to have all these things happen with something you love to do. "

" I'm probably tougher on myself than I used to be. I'll revise my lyrics more. Part of that is working with the right people and producers who will say, 'How can you make that better?' Allowing yourself to collaborate with people will push you toward transcendence. "

" At the end of the day, there's only a few major stars in the music business, and then there's all these people that are aspiring to be that. "

" If you look at what happened with Underground Railroad, there is so much action. There is so much intrigue; there is so much of historical importance. "

" The best training is to play by ear: trial by fire. "

" In New York especially, I always want to wear a nice overcoat to get through the winter: you can wear them so many times, and they make every outfit better. "

" There's a certain confidence that comes with being sure about the way the world works. "

" Well, I like songs that have like a little bit of quirkiness to them. "

" When we meet people who are astronauts or deal in astronomy, it's always really fascinating. "

" I was around a lot of gospel as a kid. "

" Well, I was always a bit of a political junkie. Even as a kid I would read biographies of presidents and of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King and Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. "

" Hip hop has the urgency and rebelliousness that early rock n' roll and punk had: a level of rule-breaking and flirtation with danger. It allows you to break the rules. "

" I think every film is made better by having smart music supervision that's really in tune with the spirit of the visual content. "

" The main focus for me is not trying to find duet partners. It's about just making great songs. I want most of my album to be in my voice because it's my point of view. "

" Artists in general never stay in the same place; we keep growing. It's still you: you still have that core that you always had, but you work with new people and hear new things. "

" Soul is about authenticity. Soul is about finding the things in your life that are real and pure. "

" Marvin Gaye was one of the coolest. I look to him as a style icon and as an artist. "

" Anybody under the age of forty knows hip-hop, gospel and R&B pretty well, and it's all a part of what we consider to be 'black music.' There is a natural synergy between the three. "

" I used to work for a management consulting company, so I dressed differently - business casual, probably a lot of things from Banana Republic. My wardrobe now is definitely more expensive, but I always dress for the occasion. "

" Artists are, I think in general, compassionate people, and part of what makes us artists is that we're open-minded people, and I think we're almost, by definition, progressive in a lot of ways. "

" John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name. "

" I love to make fried chicken. "

" You know, my family is very musical, I was surrounded by it. And from four years old I was the one that asked my mother could I take piano lessons. "

" I feel like fashion is making steps toward diversity, but I think they could do more. "