Quotes from Linda Johnson Rice

'Ebony' is very inspirational and aspirational to its readers.

'Ebony's Power 100 list highlights African-Americans who exemplify brilliance in the fields of entertainment, arts, business and others.

It is a sign of my mother's determination, confidence, and creativity that more than 50 years after launching the renowned Ebony Fashion Fair show, her timeless sense of style endures as a guidepost for today's fashion-loving women.

I've been riding since I was seven. If I were a horse, I would want an Hermes halter.

The horse is my favorite animal.

We kept everything: every major event that's happened to African-Americans since 1945, with 'Ebony' as a repository for all those photographs and as a voice for all that happened.

We like to keep it short. If a story warrants more in-depth coverage, we will do it.

I'm not so sure we've influenced the general market. But I'm not sure we're trying to do that.

'Ebony' is an integral part of my life, and I think it's very exciting to be able to help to move the brand forward.

I think somebody's got to be cutting-edge. It just depends how you want to market your magazines and how big you want them to be. We look upon competition as what it is. It's there, you pay attention to it, but you don't live by it. You have to go on and grind it out day to day and do the best you can with your magazine every single day.

We have to tell our story at 'Ebony' and 'Jet' like no one else can. We have the authenticity; we have the believability. And I think that's what we have to own.

We're expanding 'Ebony' and 'Jet' on the digital side to attract and maintain a younger audience.

I have always drawn strength from my late mother's life. When Eunice Johnson set up the first major fashion show for African-American audiences more than 50 years ago, she did so at a time when black Americans, especially black women, were still fighting for a seat at the table - any table.

Almost 63 years ago, my father, John Johnson, named the publication 'Jet' because, as he said in the first issue, 'In the world today, everything is moving faster. There is more news and far less time to read it.' He could not have spoken truer words. We are not saying goodbye to 'Jet'; we are embracing the future as my father did in 1951.

Fairness and equality means that what you are never limits who you can be. It means that a young African-American man like my father can start a business with $500 and a dream. It means that a young African-American woman like my mother can walk into European fashion houses with her head held high and be treated with respect.

My father's legacy is bigger than a building. It really is a tremendous business that he's built.

The bitter might be just an initial reaction of, 'Oh my goodness, it's sold,' but not really understanding fully that I will be chairman emeritus of the new company, which is Ebony Media Operations. It is African-American led and owned, and I have a seat on the board, and I also have an equity position in the company, so I'm still there.

JP Morgan Chase's investment in our firm is a logical outgrowth of our longstanding relationship.

Yves Saint Laurent has a special place in my heart because he was my mother's favorite designer.

The magazines were born out of a need that my parents saw: that there were no magazines that really spoke to black people. 'Ebony' wrote about architects and artists, the share cropper who sent his nine kids to college, real African Americans at a time when everyone else only covered them as entertainers and athletes.

In light of the overall economic challenges that are affecting many, including our potential corporate sponsors, we have arrived at a most difficult decision to cancel Ebony Fashion Fair's fall 2009 season.

It was the Cosby family on the cover, but overlaid on that, it appeared to be a shattered glass. So it really wasn't just about the shattering of the Huxtables: it was really a shattering of the black family. And it was a question about that and where do we stand on that.

I would describe my mother as a steel magnolia. She was very intelligent, very persuasive.

I don't know about you, but I've never been able to go into a store and buy a pair of jeans off the rack that fit perfectly.