“After I moved with my mother to St. Louis, my older sister and I went to see Ike Turner, who was the hottest then. His music charged me. I was never attracted to him, but I wanted to sing with his band.”

“Age is no issue to me. I think 50 is the new 30 and 70 is the new 50. There are no rules that say you have to dress a certain way or be a certain way.”

“As I grew up, I learned what worked for me. That's where the short dresses came from. And you can't dance in a long dress.”

“But I believe we have a higher level of mentality within us, but we have to use the power in the right way.”

“Delhi came as a shock. There were so many people, and oh, the traffic.”

“For me the goddess is the female of God, She is powerful if different.”

“I always had long legs. When I was young, I used to think, 'Why do I look like a little pony?'”

“I am attracted to myths.”

“I believe in prayer and in strong belief.”

“I believe that if you'll just stand up and go, life will open up for you.”

“I didn't have anybody, really, no foundation in life, so I had to make my own way. Always, from the start. I had to go out in the world and become strong, to discover my mission in life.”

“I don't hate myself anymore. I used to hate my work, hated that sexy image, hated those pictures of me onstage, hated that big raunchy person. Onstage, I'm acting the whole time I'm there. As soon as I get out of those songs, I'm Tina again.”

“I don't like to dwell on the past.”

“I don't want to act just to be on the screen doing anything and looking any kind of way.”

“I don't want to be dragging myself on stage, year in year out, until someone else tells me it is time to go. There are certain birthdays that make you revalue your life.”

“I heard stories from my mother's mother who was an American Indian. She was spiritual, although she did not go to church, but she had the hum. She used to tell me stories of the rivers.”

“I know the difference between black magic and white magic.”

“I need that on stage. I need a burst of life. That's entertainment for me.”

“I never close a door on any other religion. Most of the time, some part of it makes sense to me. I don't believe everyone has to chant just because I chant. I believe all religion is about touching something inside of yourself.”

“I never had that thing about being black. If the whole world was like that, maybe there would be more harmony and love.”

“I never put a lot of praise on myself because of my relationship with Ike. I was just happy when I started to like myself - when I divorced and took control of my life.”

“I regret not having had more time with my kids when they were growing up.”

“I want to know what the difference between the essence of a man and woman is.”

“I want to tell people how to live spiritually. After you've bought all your houses and your clothes, you want something bigger.”

“I will never give in to old age until I become old. And I'm not old yet!”

“Ike's problem was that he was a musician that always wanted to be a star; and was a star, locally, but never internationally... so he then changed the name to Ike and changed my name to Tina because if I ran away, Tina was his name. It was patented as you call it.”

“I'm not wise, but the beginning of wisdom is there; it's like relaxing into - and an acceptance of - things.”

“I'm perfectly fine now if I never went on stage again.”

“I'm pleased with my life, with the journey.”

“I'm self-made. I always wanted to make myself a better person, because I was not educated. But that was my dream - to have class.”

“In Buddhism there are words you can say... as you say the words with rhythm the conscious tells the subconscious.”

“In Tennessee where I grew up, there were animals, farms, wagons, mules.”

“In the USA there is no female equivalent to god.”

“I've never bothered about my color. I never had that thing about being black. If the whole world was like that, maybe there would be more harmony and love. Maybe. I don't have a problem with being black in a white country or being with my people.”

“Movies are movies: they take you back in time, and how it still is for some.”

“My career always took me away from home, I was always away from home and I just wanted to be at home.”

“My greatest beauty secret is being happy with myself. I don't use special creams or treatments - I'll use a little bit of everything. It's a mistake to think you are what you put on yourself. I believe that a lot of how you look is to do with how you feel about yourself and your life. Happiness is the greatest beauty secret.”

“My legacy is that I stayed on course... from the beginning to the end, because I believed in something inside of me.”

“My mother and father didn't love each other, so they were always fighting.”

“My parents separated when I was younger.”

“People think my life has been tough, but I think has been a wonderful journey. The older you get, the more you realise it's not what happens, but how you deal with it.”

“Physical strength in a woman - that's what I am.”

“So when it came to role models, I looked at presidents' wives. Of course, you're talking about a farm girl who stood in the fields, dreaming, years ago, wishing she was that kind of person. But if I had been that kind of person, do you think I could sing with the emotions I do? You sing with those emotions because you've had pain in your heart.”

“Sometimes in a restaurant you'll see a lady dressed very nice, she picks up a menu or something... a little fan is always a little bit nice.”

“Sometimes we need help from a god.”

“Sometimes you've got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything... whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.”

“Success in America - what I find with my homeland, nothing lasts very long. Europe is different. You're right there with them until you come back.”

“There comes a point where it is just undignified to be a rock 'n' roll star.”

“This is what I want in heaven... words to become notes and conversations to be symphonies.”

“Well, these days, if you're away five years, you might not be able to get back.”

“When my parents went off to Knoxville to work, I lived with my father's mother. She was strict - the kind who starched and ironed dresses. I had to sit more than I played. Oh, I was miserable. I liked being out with the animals. I'd come in the house with my hair pulled out, sash off the dress, dirty as heck. I was always getting spanked.”

“You take your problems to a god, but what you really need is for the god to take you to the inside of you.”