If an organization values innovation, you can assume it's safe to speak up with new ideas, leaders will listen, and your voice matters.
As the First World War made painfully clear, when politicians and generals lead nations into war, they almost invariably assume swift victory, and have a remarkably enduring tendency not to foresee problems that, in hindsight, seem obvious.
Just because I have two world records, everyone assumes that means automatically it is two guaranteed gold medals, but it isn't like that, and anything can happen in a race.
None of us should assume stuff.
Don't assume that opportunity will come to you. Put yourself forward when there is an opportunity.
When I started creating my work for publication, I just assumed that the focus would be on the work itself and that there wouldn't be a lot of interest in who was creating the work.
America is remarkable, don't you think so? When I came to Washington, I was twelve years old. I spoke English with an English accent. It was assumed that it would go on in that way.
The 'Raining Gold' video naturally took on one of the messages behind the song, which is you should never assume anything about someone or a situation just because it looks a certain way on the surface.
Once I accepted music was my path, I rebelled by wanting to do it my own way. I also didn't think it was respectful to my father's career and creativity to assume that I could jump on the back of all he had worked his entire life for.
I think people assume that because I talk the way that I talk that I grew up with money, and then I've had to say, 'No, I grew up poor.' And then I was like, 'Why do I have to play this game where the only black experience that's authentic is the one where you grew up in poverty?' I mean, it's ridiculous.
