My parents shared not only an improbable love they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name Barack or blessed believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.

Man I just feel blessed... I was in a situation where the only way I could come out of it was by putting my faith in God. No matter how good my lawyers were no matter how much celebrity I had everything was just stacked up against me.

When you focus on being a blessing God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.

I have been blessed in many ways and one of those is to have been born in Africa for me a great treasure house of stories. I have been researching it since my infancy reading about it talking to men and women who have spent their lives in this land living it as I have and loving it as I do. I write almost entirely from my own experience.

I want people to think of me as a nice person. I really am so blessed. All of this has been a great experience and I thank the American public so much for putting me in this position. I appreciate every second of it.

I was blessed to have a mother and father that recognized the value of education.

I've been blessed by doing classic plays on Broadway which was one of my great dreams forever.

I grew up with not a lot of money and I definitely shopped at Goodwill. But even in my most unfortunate state I was really blessed compared to a lot of the rest of the world. I had a really great chance to follow my dreams and have them actually come true.

Your mind while blessed with permanent memory is cursed with lousy recall. Written goals provide clarity. By documenting your dreams you must think about the process of achieving them.

How blessed are some people whose lives have no fears no dreads to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly and brings nothing but sweet dreams.

But I'm blessed to work with great people. I collaborate with brilliant stylists both here and in Paris. I work with a great design team. I really allow everyone to bring their ideas. I almost rely on them to inspire me.

I was blessed with a birth and a death and I guess I just want some say in between.

We all feel really blessed to have been with my dad for these 85 years.

I am blessed to have Mom and Dad.

I'm blessed to have cool roles in these big movies.

But when you're a working actor - and that's what you keep saying in your head how blessed you are to have a job - and you are working with heavyweights working with the best guys in TV it's pretty cool. Exhausting but cool.

That said the question remains: how to strike the balance between free speech and mutual respect in this mixed-up world both blessed and cursed with instant communication? We should not fight fire with fire threats with threats.