When I had independence, it was a constant battle within me to figure out when am I on my own. And also the insecurity that my life engendered, especially as a freelance cartoonist, kept me in a constant state of anxiety as to whether I am going to be able to meet my financial obligations.

My angst and my insecurity reflect the state's angst and insecurity. The state is scared too.

In the end, I think, the state's rigidity is a function of its own insecurity, its indecisiveness.

I am so weak over love and heartbreak. My music is rhythm and blues and with that said, the blues element of it is a major portion. I feel like it has been lost in R&B and a lot of people are scared to talk about their vulnerabilities and insecurities. They want to keep it up and in the club.

The 1990s were also when a bunch of the soft-shoe language for race, gender, and class became paramount. Because before that I wasn't thinking about systems or food insecurity or whatever. I was just thinking about not getting picked on for being black and not being hungry.

I think our insecurities are our biggest challenges, and we all have them. Trust me, I've got plenty of my own.

Sometimes I wake up at night and go, 'Oh, damn! Here we go again! What were they thinking? They gave me this role; don't they know I'm faking it?

Dancers are kept in a perpetual state of pre-puberty, and for young girls in particular, that type of pressure breeds insecurities.

I think thinking about becoming an adult, and having to face up to your problems and face up to your insecurities, is difficult for everybody.

You're full of insecurities in your 20s - most of the time your heart's being broken, you're having a difficult time finding out who the hell you are, and I was trying to do that in the full glare of the public.