Y’all know I love Queen Latifah. She’s an amazing woman, and I find her inspirational. I have no idea how many doors have been closed on her because who she is and how she looks and where she comes from, but Latifah has persevered and succeeded. I love her. And so I would have read Latifah’s Good Housekeeping interview no matter what, but I’m only covering it because she’s so quotable and she talks about so many different things. You can read the full piece here, and here are some highlights:

Her darkest moments: In 1995, the talk show host was the victim of a violent carjacking in which her passenger friend was shot and nearly died. Latifah said she didn’t cope with the shock of the incident well. “Drinking a bunch of alcohol, numbing myself,” she recalled. “Every day I would be faded, like a painting that’s just not vibrant, whose edges are dull. I wasn’t living my full life.”

Losing her older brother, Lancelot Jr., who was killed in a crash in 1992: The accident occurred while he was riding the motorcycle Latifah gave him as a gift. Rather than swear off riding, Latifah got back on her motorcycle about a month after the tragic loss. “Riding was one of the things Lance and I did together a lot. I had to get back on. It was like a [healing] potion.”

Her mom: “My mom has always been my champion. She was very smart and grounded. She said, ‘Save your money. Pay your taxes. Don’t put everything in one basket,’ but she let me explore and be creative.”

Focus on the positives: “I think I got to that place by not being happy with the other side — hating your body and criticizing yourself all the time. When I was around 18, I looked in the mirror and said, You’re either going to love yourself or hate yourself. And I decided to love myself. That changed a lot of things.”

Body image: “There’s probably no reason I should be here as an African-American girl from Newark. And for a lot of the things I’ve wanted to do in life, I haven’t looked typical. I was not born a size 2. I’m not skinny, period. I’m not willing to sleep with the director or step on somebody else’s neck to get the job.”

Her faith in God: “I got this little message in my head that I feel was from God. It was as clear as day, like a voice that said to me, Dana, don’t let it all go, because you’re gonna get through this.” It made her realize something: “Nobody is perfect,” she says resolutely. “I know that I’m not a saint, but God’s love is there for me. I know that I need help to make it through every day, so I pray to God to help me do the best I can, to lift me up when I am tired and help me develop into the person He wants me to be…I am always surrounded by His love, and He is always there.”

[From Us Weekly & Good Housekeeping]

I didn’t know that she lost her brother or that she’d been carjacked. Damn. Anyway, I like what she says about body acceptance and what she will and won’t do in the industry.

By the way, her talk show, The Queen Latifah Show, is the #1 new talk show this year. People love it! They love it way more than Katie Couric’s stupid talk show.

Photos courtesy of WENN.