Imagination rules the world.

My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.

Every bad situation is a blues song waiting to happen.

Labor gives birth to ideas.

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

Art is the proper task of life.

I hate to tell you this, but you will never actually go to a galaxy far, far away and encounter Darth Vader. That’s science fiction; it isn’t going to happen.

The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be… The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

I mean, what would I be doing if I couldn’t write? But that fortunately hasn’t proved to be the case and I can read any day. I still read a lot, and I can write any day, but much more slowly and fewer words.

I try to really capitalize off of what other rappers really can’t do. There are opportunities that rappers I love simply can’t get, because… you know… I don’t have the tattoos; I have a different image.

The true artist is not proud: he unfortunately sees that art has no limits; he feels darkly how far he is from the goal, and though he may be admired by others, he is sad not to have reached that point to which his better genius only appears as a distant, guiding sun.

Everybody thinks making films back to back is a big deal but they did it all the time in the old days.

Towering genius disdains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.

I’ve been blessed to be somebody that’s been climbing that success mountain top for years of hard work, you know, but now it’s all connecting. And now, the whole world is watching, you know what I’m saying, and it feels good ‚cause it’s good energy. This is all positive vibes, and good vibes and good energy, so it feels incredible.

My songs are like my children – I expect them to support me when I’m old.

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?

Music has the power to inspire the world.

Opera happens because a large number of things amazingly fail to go wrong.

Trees go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far!

I just genuinely feel that that’s what you do when you’re an artist: You stick up for the people around you.

I do have motivation. A lot of motivation.

I’m inspired by Walt Disney. I’m inspired by Howard Hughes. I’m inspired by Henry Ford. I’m inspired by Steve Jobs. I mean, I’m inspired by James Perse.

That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.

I want people to draw strength from me.

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.

What is past is prologue.

There’s not some idea I’m going to create a work that’s going to change everybody’s consciousness.

‚Lives‘ is one of those books I should really have written when I was younger. It is the classic childhood, adolescence, breakthrough-into-maturity book. Every beginning writer has that material – and after that, you’re not sure what you can do.

Writing has always had that tactile quality for me. It’s a physical experience.

Every production of genius must be the production of enthusiasm.

Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.

You must capture and keep the heart of the original and supremely able man before his brain can do its best.

If thou art a man, admire those who attempt great things, even though they fail.

I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew. Writing a poem is discovering.

I would like to see a future where artists think that they have a right to contemplate things like global warming.

Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.

There is no great genius without some touch of madness.

Many of my fans often tell me that they listen to my songs to get through things. And therefore, obviously, I hope that they can picture being in a place where things are better… I hope my songs can bring people to a calm place.

I love those who do not know how to live for today.

A rooster crows only when it sees the light. Put him in the dark and he’ll never crow. I have seen the light and I’m crowing.

Innovation has nothing to do with how many R & D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R & D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.

The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable.

As an artist your first loyalty is to your art. Unless this is the case, you’re going to be a second-rate artist.

All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

If you check your ego at the door when it comes to comedy, you’ve got a pretty good shot at making a great movie that you can commit yourself to, you can jump off the proverbial cliff with, and have a great time, and the audiences respond to that.

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.

Everybody has a purpose.

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

Muhammad Ali is a legend, a hero of mine.

Every bit of me is devoted to love and art. And I aspire to try to be a teacher to my young fans who feel just like I felt when I was younger. I just felt like a freak. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m trying to liberate them, I want to free them of their fears and make them feel that they can make their own space in the world.

Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.

Begin noticing and being careful about keeping your imagination free of thoughts that you do not wish to materialize. Instead, initiate a practice of filling your creative thoughts to overflow with ideas and wishes that you fully intend to manifest. Honor your imaginings regardless of others seeing them as crazy or impossible.

The dreams and passions stored within hearts are powerful keys which can unlock a wealth of potential.

I’m not interested in people positioning me next to other artists.

Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action.

Sweet are the uses of adversity which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head.

Hope is a waking dream.

Let us have no machine-made ornament at all; it is all bad and worthless and ugly.

As a musician and a songwriter, it is an act of the ego to believe that other people might be interested in your point of view. But it is usually an empathetic nature that gets you going in the first place. Music keeps the heart porous in many ways.

There, in the chords and melodies, is everything I want to say. The words just jolly it along. It’s always been my way of expressing what, for me, is inexpressible by any other means.