I'm gluten-free, dairy-free, and I try to keep a low-sugar diet, although from time to time, I'll have a bite of cake - you know, I'm human.

If I'm going to release anything into the world, I want it to have a positive message. So I think that 'Sit Still, Look Pretty' and 'Hide Away' were two upbeat pieces, and their messages really uplift me the most.

Believe in yourself, go after your dreams, and don't let anyone put you in a box.

First Lady Michelle Obama - I admire her confidence, integrity, intelligence, compassion, and her overall vibe - she is such an inspiration.

Girls shouldn't be afraid to look messy. They shouldn't have to always fit in with the pretty girls. Our goal as women is not to impress guys.

As soon as 'Hide Away' came out, it was like everyone knew who I was, and I started getting all this attention. It was hard to get used to at first. I just remember that I suddenly couldn't walk down the hallways without hearing a classmate or teacher playing it - it was unreal!

I was invited to L.A. when I was 16 for a weekend-long songwriting session by a writer I had met through my voice teacher in Pittsburgh. My first hit, 'Hide Away,' was one of the songs written during those sessions. It was played for a radio rep who then started a new label; the song got a pretty organic start at radio and then took off.

I started traveling, performing, doing photo shoots and working on new music. At the same time, I was juggling homework and trying not to miss out on too many experiences during my junior and senior years - like prom and graduation.

Stay humble, be fearless, and work, work, work, work, work, work.

My mother's nickname for me is 'Positive Patrick.' I like to live up to that title.

I love to go shopping and see what catches my eye.

Religion is supposed to be a positive thing when you look at the true religions around the world, not the fundamentalists. You always have to go with what your spirit tells you, not what people advise you. I'm a man that will always follow my own path.

From the neck up is where you win or lose the battle. It's the art of war. You have to lock yourself in and strategise your mindset. That's why boxers go to training camps: to shut down the noise and really zone in.

It's hard to say I don't like being famous, but how I feel is that I don't see myself as that person. It baffles me that people would want a picture with me.

I can be the nice family man at home, and then when I go to the gym, maybe sparring with someone, I switch into beast mode. It ain't pretty.

Am I feminist? I don't know. I'm not really sure what that is. I am all up for equality to a certain extent, although in the home, I do feel this is where the mother excels and the man needs to step back a bit. My family is from Nigeria, and this is our culture.

I know every fight could be my last fight, and if that happens, that's not just a health issue, but I'll be knocked off that king's stool.

I don't have a strict diet; I keep it simple. I try to eat fish, meat, veg and carbs - potatoes and rice - but I'll try and pack it in because as I'm burning so much energy. I have to see food as an energy source.

Washington State has a strong tradition of a positive relationship - positive working relationship between labor and management, whether in the private sector or the public sector. It needs to continue to be that way.

How nice it would be to breeze through life and just brush things off. I never read reviews because I hate to lose more than I like to win; I experience negative emotions far greater than positive ones.

It's never been a point of reference to look to a man. It's not always a good thing, I suppose, but I think independence is always preferable to dependence.

A core part of Teach For America's mission has always been affecting positive change in the traditional public school system.

Research shows that whether you are low-income or not, mindset is a bigger predictor of success than academic skills, and how students gain great academic skills and persevere in the face of challenges.

The idea that computers can ever replace teachers and schools reveals a deep lack of understanding about the role leadership plays in student success.

All around the world, we send our top talent into finance, technology, medicine and law - everywhere but towards expanding opportunity for our most marginalized children.

We look for people who demonstrate perseverance in the face of challenges, the ability to influence and motivate others - people who want to work relentlessly to ensure that kids who are facing the challenges of poverty have an excellent education.

I had been very focused on the issue of education disparities in our country, and literally, by the time kids are just nine years old, in low-income communities, they're already three or four grade levels behind nine-year-olds in high-income communities.

Research confirms that great teachers change lives. Students with one highly effective elementary school teacher are more likely to go to college, less likely to become pregnant as teens, and earn tens of thousands more over their lifetimes.

You will find it will almost always be more comfortable to sit on the sidelines and critique the builders from afar. But at the end of the day, the people who make a difference, the people who shape history, are not the haters.

We are looking for a set of personal characteristics that predict success, the first and foremost of which is perseverance in the face of challenges. We also look for the ability to influence and motivate others who share your values, strong problem-solving ability, and leadership.

The mission that unites all of the programs of the Teach For All global network is that of cultivating the leadership capacity critical to ultimately ensuring educational opportunity for all.

We are working essentially to build a leadership force of folks who will, during their first two years of teaching, actually put their kids on a different trajectory - not just survive as a new teacher, but actually help close the achievement gap for their kids.

In the long run, we need to build a leadership force of people. We have a whole strategy around not only providing folks with the foundational experience during their two years with us, but also then accelerating their leadership in ways that is strategic for the broader education reform movement.

Charter laws do something really important. They give educators the freedom and flexibility that they need to attain results. But we also have to invest a lot in the leadership pipeline to take advantage of that freedom and flexibility.

I think the way to understand Teach for America is as a leadership development program.

School boards can be a steppingstone to higher forms of political leadership.

If we're going to see sustainable results from all the other investments we're making in education, we need to build leadership capacity in each and every country.

Teach For America is working hard to be one significant source of the leadership we need.

Fostering the leadership necessary for transformational outcomes in education is hard work, and in countries around the world, there is a constant search for easier solutions.

Mindsets, skills and leadership, experience and access, and critical consciousness - we need all four of these things for our students to be the leaders, people and citizens we want them to be.

Every time a child's promise is cut short by their legal status, our country wastes precious resources and loses talent we need.

In the long run, we will need many more African-American, Latino, and Native American leaders, and leaders from low-income communities, who can bring additional insight and a deeply grounded sense of urgency, and who are the most likely to inspire the necessary trust and engagement among students' parents and community leaders.

Effective teacher support in my mind is the same thing as effective management. Our teachers need strong management, just like anyone in any profession.

If we freed up all the money in the certification process, think about how much more money we'd have to put into teacher salaries.

Tennis has had a very positive impact on my life.

I'm not here to discuss the past... I'm here to be positive.

In '83, we went over to Amsterdam. I just remember people saying, 'Baseball's just starting over here. They're learning how to play the game of baseball.'

I study pitchers. I visualize pitches. That gives me a better chance every time I step into the box. That doesn't mean I'm going to get a hit every game, but that's one of the reasons I've come a long way as a hitter.

I am a positive person and do not allow things to get on top of me.

I'm enjoying myself this year and for once I'm not chasing my fitness.