I know who I am. I am not perfect. I’m not the most beautiful woman in the world. But I’m one of them.
Mary J. Blige
There’s so many things that life is, and no matter how many breakthroughs, trials will exist and we’re going to get through it. Just be strong.
Mary J. Blige
I don’t know. Only God knows where the story ends for me, but I know where the story begins. It’s up to us to choose, whether we win or lose and I choose to win.
Mary J. Blige
Life is full of trials and tribulations. It’s dramatic when you don’t treat people right when you’re in the tribulations, but I know now how to get out of it. You have to make a decision to say ‘No more’, and then you know what to do when the trials happen.
Mary J. Blige
Believe in yourself when nobody else does.
Mary J. Blige
You can look at my palm and see the storm coming. Read the book of my life and see I’ve overcome it.
Mary J. Blige
You can hate me. You can go out there and say anything you want about me, But you will love me later because I told you the truth.
Mary J. Blige
I can have as many bad days as anyone. But I choose to say, ‘I’m just fine.’
Mary J. Blige
You can’t get around pain and opposition, but you can try to be joyful in the trial, and thank yourself for the trial, and thank God for the strength to get through it.
Mary J. Blige
I like French fries; I like mashed. I love potatoes.
Mary J. Blige
I like French fries; I like mashed. I love potatoes.
Mary J. Blige
I’m my worst critic, and I like the fact that I can listen to myself now and make fun of myself, listen, make changes – ‘Oh, man, that’s messed up. Okay, I need to work on that; I need to work on this.’
Mary J. Blige
There are people out there who want to provoke me and bring back the old Mary but I’m not giving them the satisfaction.
Mary J. Blige
Once you climb to another level, you have to figure out how to sustain it.
Mary J. Blige
God comes first – if I don’t love him, I can’t love anybody, and if I can’t love me I can’t love nobody.
Mary J. Blige
I didn’t know how to show my self love, and I didn’t want anyone else to hurt me. So my tough girl attitude was like, ‘I’m not having it.’
Mary J. Blige
From being a little girl in the projects, going through all of the mess that I was going through, to ending up at the Inauguration for the first African-American president, I’m speechless right now because I never thought I’d – I never ever – I couldn’t even see that far. Even when I ended up in the music business, I couldn’t see that.
Mary J. Blige
So as long as I’m a human being and I’m not perfect, I’m able to say I’m having some growing pains. Because in order to sustain where you are once you made such a breakthrough that everyone is looking at you, now everyone is like, ‘Ooh, is she gonna make a mistake?’ Yes, I’m going to make a mistake. Yes, I’m still gonna do things.
Mary J. Blige
This music business can suck all the love out of you, all the compassion for people – you can start to think you’re better than them. But I want to continue to let people know that I’m no better and no worse, I’m just like you.
Mary J. Blige
Even if you feel someone has wronged you or owes you something, no one is going to give you anything for free.
Mary J. Blige
I hated myself for so many reasons, and I thought so many things were my fault that happened to me growing up.
Mary J. Blige
I have to have lemon and honey. I have to have apple cider vinegar, Braggs. And I have to have either Red Vines or Twizzlers. These things, you know, are the things that help my vocal performance.
Mary J. Blige
When you wake up and learn to love yourself and want to take care of yourself, things are harder because people don’t like the idea of it. But when you get in trouble, it gives people things to talk about.
Mary J. Blige
I wish I had known that education is the key. That knowledge is power. Now I pick up books and watch educational shows with my husband. I’m seeing how knowledge can elevate you.
Mary J. Blige
Really, every woman is an example to me, because as women we go through so much pain. We have to live this perfect life when we are messed up inside. We all go through trials and tribulations.
Mary J. Blige
I believe there are certain things that God uses to get us out of a bad situation, and I believe music was one of the things he used for me.
Mary J. Blige
There’s not enough time to be disrespecting… Life is too short.
Mary J. Blige
One day I realized that I wasn’t getting anywhere by blaming other people for my circumstances. I finally understood: Even if you feel someone has wronged you or owes you something, no one is going to give you anything for free.
Mary J. Blige
I’ve just been growing right along. It’s painful, but it’s a great pain, and I like suffering for great results. It’s like going to the gym. It hurts really bad at first, but after a couple of months and after that diet, you’re looking so hot.
Mary J. Blige
Thank you so much for supporting me from the day I stepped foot into the music industry. It really means something to me to have Maya Angelou speak on my behalf. It also means a lot to have Oprah on my speed dial!
Mary J. Blige
My journey continues, because I’ve, you know, conquered a lot. And I know how to conquer the rest.
Mary J. Blige
When you know what pain is, and when you have to make a choice, you learn that it is a decision. People think it’s a fairytale thing, love and happiness, but you have to work hard. And then – you feel it deeply.
Mary J. Blige
I like to do interior design, I love to quilt, I love to see different colors together, and I love to match things up.
Mary J. Blige
I used to think I was ugly. I thought I looked like a camel. A person who doesn’t love themselves, they will see anything that pops up on their face. I’ve seen squirrels, I’ve seen a bird, and I’ve seen all kinds of animals on my face. But that is the result of self-hate. I’ve learned to say: ‘You know what? I am a beautiful black woman’.
Mary J. Blige
Just don’t let the hype of what people are saying and how much they love you, y’know, just take the compliment and be thankful that people are complimenting you, but don’t let it consume you; don’t let your circumstances around you and the way people view you make you act a certain way.
Mary J. Blige
If you’re here right now in your life, your journey continues and you’ve lived to tell the story.
Mary J. Blige
It’s not just songs and glamour. It’s sweat, blood, broken toes, and mistakes… It’s life.
Mary J. Blige
I don’t listen to people’s opinions. I have people around me who I can trust, but most of all I listen to myself.
Mary J. Blige
I can’t just make a song people can dance in a club to… it still has to be real.
Mary J. Blige
When you come from so many damaged places you don’t ever want to spiral back there, so you gotta continue to check yourself.
Mary J. Blige
My responsibility to God is to live. That’s the gift he gave me.
Mary J. Blige
I can tell you I didn’t feel good when I could not articulate properly. Getting my GED was important and I want other women to feel that.
Mary J. Blige
I do consider myself part of black history.
Mary J. Blige
In the inner city, there’s a mentality that the government owes you something. My breakthrough came when I stopped feeling sorry for myself and took responsibility for every part of my life. No more pity parties. I’ve gotta love me more than anybody else loves me.
Mary J. Blige
Nowadays, with the state of the music business, for any artist, whether you’re up-and-coming or you’ve been in it for awhile, you have to explore different revenues and different ways of expressing yourself.
Mary J. Blige
I just love food, period.
Mary J. Blige
I was inspired to create ‘My Life’ so I could finally share a personal part of my life beyond my music.
Mary J. Blige
I don’t think there’s anything they can say about me that I haven’t said about myself already. And I would be an absolute total liar, and my fans would not respect me, if I said that my life and my marriage are perfect. But we absolutely love each other; we have fun together – it’s great.
Mary J. Blige
You demand respect and you’ll get it. First of all, you give respect.
Mary J. Blige
I cannot save the world; that’s not what I’m trying to do. I guess I’m just trying to walk the walk and be an example to those that want it. Not everybody does, but if Mary J. Blige can come out of that same hole you were in, then you can do it, too – that’s my goal: to do that without saying it, but actually live it.
Mary J. Blige
It hurts when you have to smile and you don’t want to smile, but the best thing to do is to smile.
Mary J. Blige
I believe this generation should know their history and they should know that the struggle’s not over yet.
Mary J. Blige
Two hurt people can not help each other. They can not.
Mary J. Blige