I always say I wanna work with Alicia Keys. I’m in awe of her.

Everybody born comes from the Creator trailing wisps of glory. We come from the Creator with creativity. I think that each one of us is born with creativity.

I like to read books. I like to listen to music.

The man of genius inspires us with a boundless confidence in our own powers.

Chicago gave me more music than any other city in America.

I love the song ‚I Hope You Dance‘ by Lee Ann Womack. I was going to write that song, but someone beat me to it.

You can have the platinum album. But, you know, when you still feel like you haven’t quite found your place in the world, it kind of gives a crazy offset.

I still wanna rap better than everybody else, and I wanna say important things.

The generous Critic fann’d the Poet’s fire, And taught the world with reason to admire.

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.

Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.

We all gonna die eventually from something or other, but don’t be a wimp. Put up a good fight.

I used to consider the listener. But now I’m in a space where, if I’m not inspired, I can’t really do the music. I can’t feel it.

Hawaii is paradise. It sounds cheesy to say it, but there’s music in the air there.

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.

Great art is the contempt of a great man for small art.

I find a lot of inspiration through visuals. When I was 12, I saw Aurora’s ‚Runaway‘ music video. Something inside me clicked, like, ‚That is what I want to do, no matter whether it goes anywhere or not.‘

For novelists or musicians, if they really want to create something, they need to go downstairs and find a passage to get into the second basement. What I want to do is go down there, but still stay sane.

As long as you live, keep learning how to live.

The writing process, the way I go about it is I do whatever the beat feels like, whatever the beat is telling me to do. Usually when the beat comes on, I think of a hook or the subject I want to rap about almost instantly. Within four, eight bars of it playing I’m just like, ‚Oh, OK. This is what I wanna do‘.

I’m such an emotional and sensitive person, so it only makes sense that my songs are as well.

In Hawaii, some of the biggest radio stations are reggae. The local bands are heavily influenced by Bob Marley.

The great moments of rock ‚n‘ roll were never off in some corner of the music world, in a self-constructed ghetto.

No sanction can stand against ignited minds.

One word from the Lord is like a piece of gold to a believer, who is like a jeweler, shaping and hammering out the promise for a number of weeks.

I read all the time, and I’m often struck by something I’m reading.

The ‚Maddox Jolie-Pitt‘ Foundation’s work is inspired by our children and their connections to particular countries.

There are 309 million people out there that are trying to improve their lot in life. And we’ve got a system that allows them to do it.

Thirty-three-years-old, still creating art. It’s rage, it’s creativity, it’s pain, it’s hurt, but it’s the opportunity to still have my voice get out there through music.

I think my first album opened a lot of doors for me to push the freedom of speech to the limit.

Howard Zinn was magical as a teacher. Witty, irreverent, and wise, he loved what he was teaching and clearly wanted his students to love it, also.

The sun is gone, but I have a light.

Music is like film to me.

To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.

You should treat a muse like a fairy.

Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another.

Even if you have nothing to write, write and say so.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

It is impossible to experience one’s death objectively and still carry a tune.

I consider myself to have one of the greatest voices in the industry.

I alone of English writers have consciously set myself to make music out of what I may call the sound of sense.

And later, if I ever felt that I was getting swept away by the craziness of being in a band, well, I’d go back to Virginia.

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

Songs for me are like a message in a bottle. You send them out to the world, and maybe the person who you feel that way about will hear about it someday.

It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.

When I heard Little Richard, I mean, it just set my world on fire.

It is only an auctioneer who can equally and impartially admire all schools of art.

I’ve been asking myself: ‚Why put together these things – CDs, albums?‘ The answer I came up with is, well, sometimes it’s artistically viable. It’s not just a random collection of songs. Sometimes the songs have a common thread, even if it’s not obvious or even conscious on the artists‘ part.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.

Factoring in millions of people when I’m writing a song is not a good idea. I don’t ever do it.

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Music comes to me more readily than words.

I definitely think, generally, rap is misogynistic.

The Bible says to ‚fear not,‘ but this doesn’t mean you should never feel scared. It means when you do feel fear, keep going forward and do what you are supposed to do. Or as I like to say, do it afraid.

Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.

I’m the same kid who used to hop the trains with headphones and just go to downtown Manhattan, walk around and listen to music or walk through the city. The fame restricts that. It’s a small complaint in comparison to the benefits I get from it, but the restrictive part is what I don’t like – and the fact that it’s not reversible.

If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.

When ideas fail, words come in very handy.

The good parts of a book may be only something a writer is lucky enough to overhear or it may be the wreck of his whole damn life and one is as good as the other.

Where I come from it was really unheard of to be at a party and someone says, ‚What kind of music do you make?‘, and you say, ‚Pop music.‘ You may as well have ‚I’m not cool‘ stamped on your forehead.

If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.