My whole thing is to inspire, to better people, to better myself forever in this thing that we call rap, this thing that we call hip hop.

The individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in the end, make his way regardless of his race.

No poet or orator has ever existed who believed there was any better than himself.

The simple act of paying attention can take you a long way.

The great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up.

You know, when I have a bad game, it continues to humble me and know that, you know, you still have work to do and you still have a lot of people to impress.

Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don’t have time for all that.

I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.

Nothing is stopping me from doing what I love to do.

There is no security on this earth; there is only opportunity.

A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.

I knew I wasn’t going to be a rocket scientist – let’s not be fools – but I wasn’t going to be a bum.

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.

Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition – such as lifting weights – we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.

Observe all men, thyself most.

Power is given only to those who dare to lower themselves and pick it up. Only one thing matters, one thing; to be able to dare!

I’ve never responded well to entrenched negative thinking.

There is no waste of time in life like that of making explanations.

So much of what we do every single day is the result of habits that we have formed over time.

If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.

It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are the more gentle and quiet we become towards the defects of others.

You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it.

No one should be ashamed to admit he is wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.

The challenge is to stay cool enough to handle the pressure in the moment so that you can succeed in the future.

I suppose for me as an artist it wasn’t always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute in some way to the culture that I was living in. It just seemed like a challenge to move it a little bit towards the way I thought it might be interesting to go.

You always want your people to be proud of what you have accomplished.

Reversing your treatment of the man you have wronged is better than asking his forgiveness.

I’m only going to stand before God and give an account for my life, not for somebody else’s life. If I have a bad attitude, then I need to say there’s no point in me blaming you for what’s wrong in my life.

Nature that framed us of four elements, warring within our breasts for regiment, doth teach us all to have aspiring minds.

I’m just changing the game because I know what the fans want and the people want ‚cause I’m a fan of hip-hop.

Everyone, no doubt, remains first and foremost a man of his own country and continues to draw from it his motive force.

It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.

As long as I’m learning something, I figure I’m OK – it’s a decent day.

I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.

I have retired, but if there’s anything that would kill me it is to wake up in the morning not knowing what to do.

Of course, I do everything for money.

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

Confidence comes from discipline and training.

When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.

The idea that to make a man work you’ve got to hold gold in front of his eyes is a growth, not an axiom. We’ve done that for so long that we’ve forgotten there’s any other way.

Even after a bad harvest there must be sowing.

He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts.

Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.

An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.

Those who do not know how to live must make a merit of dying.

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

Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.

Enemies are so stimulating.

At 30 a man should know himself like the palm of his hand, know the exact number of his defects and qualities, know how far he can go, foretell his failures – be what he is. And, above all, accept these things.

I’m a very strong believer in listening and learning from others.

The best measure of a man’s honesty isn’t his income tax return. It’s the zero adjust on his bathroom scale.

If you start by promising what you don’t even have yet, you’ll lose your desire to work towards getting it.

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.

It’s like a muscle – if you stop going to the gym or stop running, you get weak. The military teaches you these great values, but we don’t keep up the discipline on our own, and we lose it. So wherever you go, keep that discipline up.

Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all.

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.

I know the blessing of having a dad who played 16 years in the league. That experience, and seeing him as an example, let me know that it’s possible. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.

He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do anything.

The human race is governed by its imagination.