When life is real, it's not going to be smooth. Mary J. Blige More Quotes by Mary J. Blige More Quotes From Mary J. Blige Love is wonderful, amazing, and the best thing that can happen to us. Mary J. Blige best-things wonderful love-is You can't get around pain and opposition, but you can try to be joyful in the trial, and thank yourself for the trial, and thank God for the strength to get through it. Mary J. Blige pain thank-god trying God loves me and sent his son to die for me so I have to live to please him because he saved me when everyone abandoned me. Mary J. Blige abandoned god-love son Everything is scary if you look at it. So you just got to live. Mary J. Blige scary ifs looks In the inner city, there's a mentality that the government owes you something. My breakthrough came when I stopped feeling sorry for myself and took responsibility for every part of my life. No more pity parties. I've gotta love me more than anybody else loves me. Mary J. Blige party responsibility sorry You have to have a plan. Everything has to be planned. For me, I start with the title of my album, before I even start with the songs. I write down different things that I want album to say, and then the songs come from the different words. Mary J. Blige titles writing song I'm searching for a real love. Mary J. Blige real-love real You can look at my palm and see the storm coming. Read the book of my life and see I've overcome it. Mary J. Blige storm overcoming book It's sad that a lot of identities are lost and a lot of careers are lost because there's sort of a clone thing going on. Mary J. Blige careers identity lost People in my neighborhood inspired me to sing. Believe in your ability no matter what, but be realistic with yourself and your ability. Mary J. Blige inspired believe people If you're here right now in your life, your journey continues and you've lived to tell the story. Mary J. Blige right-now journey stories I didn't never have to go to a therapist. I just always put it in a song and you heard me. Mary J. Blige therapists heard song When you hold on to anger and unforgiveness, you can't move forward. Mary J. Blige moving-forward moving Working in the studio is a more personal experience whereas on stage in front of a billion people, its more exciting performing live. Mary J. Blige stage exciting people I believe that anything man himself can do for me, God can do for me in a greater way. I decided to pray and to seek God on my own. I just stayed in The Word. And it worked. Mary J. Blige men believe way No one compares to you. Just remember that. There's no one out there - there's only one of you, and that's it. And whatever you believe about you that's great, no one else has it. And I can't look like you, there's no way I can slip into your body and be you, and you can't slip into my body and be me. This is all we're gonna get. Mary J. Blige like-you remember believe I mean, I know my heart is not clean, and your heart is not clean, and none of our urban hearts are clean. But you can be washed again. Mary J. Blige urban heart mean You either learn from your experiences or go back and do the same thing, and I learned from my experiences. Mary J. Blige There are people out there who want to provoke me and bring back the old Mary but I'm not giving them the satisfaction. Mary J. Blige want giving people Nowadays, with the state of the music business, for any artist, whether you're up-and-coming or you've been in it for awhile, you have to explore different revenues and different ways of expressing yourself. Mary J. Blige different artist way