Growing up, there was this explosion of B television. 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air,' you have 'Family Matters,' 'A Different World.' I had examples - of black children, black families, black women, black men - that represented who I was.

We think of our prison inmates as the dregs of society, and we scorn them and push them off to the side and forget about them. We have to remember that they are humans, and they have rights, and yes, they did wrong, but we all have one shot at doing wrong, you know?

Whether we are working to pay off student loans, credit card debt, paying for elder or childcare, or even trying to save for retirement, the idea of the American dream still remains just that - a dream.

I remember going through that process of growing my hair out, straightening it, cutting off the relaxed hair. I finally got to a point where I went to the Dominicans because they can straighten it real good. By the end of the day, the part of my hair that had just been pressed straight was already starting to coil back up.

I think essentially the meaning of life is probably the journey and not really any one thing or an outcome or a result.

There's no real road map to L.A. Everyone's journey is different. You have to persevere and be willing to put everything in it. You have to stick it out. I don't really have a safety net, but what I do is put myself in the best possible position to succeed by working hard. Also, be careful who you let into your life.

I think anytime in someone's faith journey, my faith journey also, you go through doubting... I think you kind of have to go through that, honestly, just to ask the tough questions... I mean, life is crazy, and to know that, honestly, a loving God is walking through it with me is very comforting for me.

For most of us, wisdom is acquired in the thicket of experience and usually meets us somewhere along the way if we live long enough. But sooner is better than later.