Leslie Odom Jr. Quotes

I think the Olympics are a time for the world to come together and put aside differences, but we're also coming to represent ourselves, our communities, and our countries, so I think it's important to stand up and be a voice.

I am the voice of my people.

Give me your support, and I'll fight for you... I'll fight for you because I am you.

When we go and cheer Cynthia Erivo on in 'The Color Purple,' it's because we've elected her to be our voice. She sings 'I'm Here' for all of us.

I can see that everybody has their own challenges that they are dealing with. But what's so beautiful about music is that it brings people together, levels the playing field and opens people up.

At the end of the day, it's incredibly important to have a show like 'Atlanta' because if we can't stand up for and celebrate each other, then who will? Who will do it better?

I am no longer a shuddering speck of existence, alone in the darkness;--I belong to them and they to me; we all share the same fear and the same life...I could bury my face in them, in these voices, these words that have saved me and will stand by me.

Motherhood was the great equaliser for me; I started to identify with everybody.

I'm trying to make a case for those people who don't have a sense of belonging that they should have, that there is something really worthwhile in having a sense of belonging, and recasting and looking at our modern history.

Always the aim for me is making people feel like they are not alone. That's just the greatest feeling.

We have all known the long loneliness, and we have found that the answer is community.

Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It's the impetus for creating change.

There's a sense of aliveness that comes from connection, shared experience. And you see it in every place. You see it when ball players jump up and down, gather at home plate, hugging, and it's not just because they're winning, it's that shared moment, that feeling of - we enter the world alone, we leave alone.

I remain close to my people. I keep singing with them.

I'm Puerto Rican, but I represent everybody.

Those moments onstage when you realize what you and your compatriots are doing matters - someone in that room needs to hear that story, someone needs to escape or heal or learn or breathe, and remember, we're all in this together.

People would say, 'Can I hug you?' And I would say, 'Yes, you can hug me! We're fellow New Yorkers!'

We need to create areas to come together, where we can be there for each other.

We all feel like we're alone, but as artists, we get to see firsthand from our fans that we're not. Hearing them scream the words to your songs is the most amazing feeling.

I had to figure out that finding my place was not about race but about creativity, and connecting with other artists helped me find my voice.

Black girl stories aren't just for black girls: they're for everybody.

The more we reach out and become vulnerable and share our stories, the more people we will meet that will unite and help us to achieve more equality.

I write for my people.

That's my message: I'm not alone, and neither is anyone else.

Fans make you understand it was more than music to them. It was a movement, a voice they felt they didn't have that we expressed for them.