"You can't listen to what people who aren't musical have to say. When Anytime was released, I had bad reviews, and at first I was hurt. Your songs are like your children. You don't want to hear, 'Your kid is ugly.' But I knew the record was good and it would sell"

In this quote, Brian McKnight is expressing his belief that it is important to not let the opinions of non-musical people impact your own musical work. He shares his individual experience of getting negative evaluations for his song "Anytime" and how it at first injured him because he sees his tunes as his own children. Just like a moms and dad would not wish to hear someone state their child is awful, McKnight didn't want to hear negative feedback about his tune. However, he eventually trusted in the quality of his work and knew that it would achieve success in spite of the preliminary criticism. This quote highlights the value of having confidence in one's own artistic capabilities and not letting outdoors viewpoints bring you down.