Aretha Franklin 1942 – 2018. #RESPECT.

On Respect: “Everybody wants respect. In their own way, three-year-olds would like respect, and acknowledgment, in their terms.”

On Love “Falling out of love is like losing weight. It’s a lot easier putting it on than taking it off.”

On body image: “Who hasn’t had a weight issue? If not the body, certainly the big head!”

On the Power of Women “As women, we do have it. We have the power. We are very resourceful. Women absolutely deserve respect. I think women and children and older people are the three least-respected groups in our society.”

On Parenting “My children have been wonderful. Times when they have been down, they lifted me up. But once they pass a certain age, their independence begins to kick in … you have to learn when to let go. And that’s not easy.”

On “Respect” and “Natural Woman” “I didn’t think my songs would become anthems for women. But I’m delighted. Women probably immediately feel compassion and relate to the lyrics. We can all learn a little something from each other, so whatever people can take and be inspired by where my music is concerned is great,”.

On Her Music Contemporaries: On Beyoncé “ She is a worker, like all Virgos, and I appreciate that. Bootylicious. Oh yes, I want to get me some of that. There is no truth to the rumors we were fighting at the White House. That’s all made up stuff. We love each other,”. ( on Patti Labelle)

On Her Illustrious Career “We didn’t have music videos. You weren’t an overnight sensation. You had to work at it and learn your craft: how to take care of your voice, how to pace your concerts, all that trial and error. I paid my dues, I certainly did.

On Her Famous Coat-Dropping Performance “I wasn’t sure about the air factor onstage, and air can mess with the voice from time to time. And I didn’t want to have that problem that evening. It’s been a long time since I’ve done Kennedy Center and I wanted to have a peerless performance. Once I determined that the air was all right while I was singing, I said, “Let’s get out of this coat! I’m feeling it. Let’s go!”

On Her Father’s Influence on her Music: “I guess most people call it soul. This is something I got from growing up in my father’s [The Reverend C. L. Franklin] church, singing with him and hearing his sermons every Sunday. You hear him preach just one sermon and you’ll know that he’s a past master of soul,”.

On Challenges “It’s the rough side of the mountain that’s the easiest to climb; the smooth side doesn’t have anything for you to hang on to” .

From GoodHousekeeping.