I am a woman, and I am a Latina. Those are the things that make my writing distinctive. Those are the things that give my writing power.
I have found a unique opportunity to distinguish myself and to learn my trade. I am a general officer in the army of the United States of America. My zeal in their cause and my frankness have won their trust.
I am more proud of what distinguishes man from the animals than of what he has in common with them.
I am so focused on the fact that the conversation doesn't address any of the things I think are important. I think our political dialogue in America is distorted and completely off track.
I am disturbed when I see the majority of so-called Christians having such little understanding of the real nature of the faith they profess. Faith is a subject of such importance that we should not ignore it because of the distractions or the hectic pace of our lives.
I am distressed when I see news channels saying 'Devdas' has let down the country by not getting an Oscar nomination.
I am particularly distressed when people in the public eye who influence our culture perpetuate sexism.
I am never angry, although sometimes distressed.
I don't believe in doing one thing after another. I am a bit lazy, laid back, and a happy-go-lucky person. I don't fret too much. I enjoy living in the moment. If I have too much, then I get confused and distressed.
I am most interested in the outcomes at schools and school districts and ensuring that all kids are prepared for college and a career in the 21st-century job market.
I think I need a psychiatrist because I do believe I am mentally disturbed in some way.
If I am no longer disturbed myself, I will deal less with disturbed people, but I don't regret having concerned myself with them because I think most of us are disturbed.
I am disturbed by how states abuse laws on Internet access. I am concerned that surveillance programmes are becoming too aggressive. I understand that national security and criminal activity may justify some exceptional and narrowly-tailored use of surveillance. But that is all the more reason to safeguard human rights and fundamental freedoms.
I just think that the whole diva thing is a misrepresentation of who I am.
So if diva means giving your best, then yes, I guess I am a diva.
I want to show my versatility and how diverse I am, how I approach the track, my rhythm, my melodies. It's something different. Sometimes, the things I do haven't ever been done.
I'm more compelled as an artist to see diversification than I am to keep watching an Anglo point of view in storytelling.
What I am saying every day to Malawians is that time has come for us to move from aid to trade. We have picked several sectors that we think we can focus on immediately in order for us to grow our economy. So we have decided to diversify agriculture, we decided to develop our tourism sector, we have decided to develop our mining sector.
For a while... to be an evangelical meant you were a white Republican, and you were against this and against that. I don't want to be put into that mold, because then people judge you before they even listen... I don't want to divide the very people I am trying to reach.
I'll shout it if they want: Down with isms! Up with a Left that is capable of thinking outside the box! In other words, I am more than completely cured of simplifications, of dividing the world into good and evil, of thinking in black and white. I have repented!
