Madea is a cross between my mother and my aunt. She's the type of grandmother that was on every corner when I was growing up.

The most important thing that I learned in growing up is that forgiveness is something that, when you do it, you free yourself to move on.

What I've learned is you treat women right.

Being on the 'Alex Cross' set, and watching and learning about and paying attention to everything that was going on there, I realized, 'Here is a moment for me to learn.'

I don't have faith in young people any more. I don't waste time trying to communicate with them.

My father was a bricklayer, and my mother was a housewife. It was complicated, obviously, because of our humble origin, but thank God we were all focused.

The opposite of faith is not doubt: It is certainty. It is madness. You can tell you have created God in your own image when it turns out that he or she hates all the same people you do.

I feel angry with myself the way I handled the Bible and Christianity. A lot more people are more normal with Christianity. I was crazy... telling people you will go to hell. I lost all my friends because of my militant faith.