Sometimes my mind boggles. It`s so deep my mind actually boggles.

You can`t stamp out individuality - there`s too many of us.

I get the greatest feeling when I`m singing. It`s other-worldly. Your feet are anchored into the Earth and into this energy force that comes up through your feet and goes up the top of your head and maybe you`re holding hands with the angels or the stars, I have no idea.

Humour is a great vehicle for getting a message across. If you get too serious, you could die of starch.

You know, I do speak the Queens English. It`s just the wrong Queens that`s all. It`s over the 59th Street Bridge. It`s not over the Atlantic Ocean.

I`m in the business where you get the business all the time.

God has more important things to worry about than who I sleep with.

What, do you think that feminism means you hate men?

You always have to remember - no matter what you`re told - that God loves all the flowers, even the wild ones that grow on the side of the highway.

On being a feminist: "I`m a bra-burner from way back!"

You can laugh when I talk, but not when I sing. People used to throw rocks at me for my clothes...now they wanna know where I buy them.

As the audiences got larger, the participation got larger. And I found myself in Dallas, and 20,000 people were singing `Madonna Whore` back at me. I thought... this is really a great thing. They wanted to hear it really badly, and here they are.

Somebody did complain to me and tell me that my clothes were so loud they couldn`t hear me sing.

When I sing I don`t feel like it`s me. I feel I am fabulous, like I`m 10 feet tall. I am the greatest. I am the strongest. I am Samson. I`m whoever I want to be.

There have been great things that happened to me. If they didn`t happen to me, I wouldn`t be here. Everything was supposed to happen to me. I wouldn`t have the sight that I have, I wouldn`t have the creative moments that I have, I wouldn`t be able to articulate what I need to articulate. I wouldn`t have my son. I wouldn`t have my husband. I`m a lucky woman. Everything. Every single thing. There are no mistakes.

I`ve got a Grammy and Emmy, I`d like to have a Tony.

I absolutely refuse to reveal my age. What am I - a car?

I lucked out when I started to sing. I`d already experienced failing at everything else

I`ve always wondered what it would be like if somebody from outer space landed with three heads. Then all of a sudden everybody else wouldn`t look so bad, huh? Well, OK you`re a little different from me but, hey, ya got one head.

(about her album `At Last`) It was an idea to do a special project. because people would come see me live and go, `Gee, I didn`t know she could sing.` And I`d be like, `Yeah, you ever tried to sing `Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,` pal?`

When I got hoarse, the manager would say, `Drink this. Joplin used to drink this,` and I used to say, `Joplin? Joplin`s dead.