We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.

Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.

There are still many causes worth sacrificing for, so much history yet to be made.

I usually don’t like to ‚spoon feed‘ my audience, because I grew up idolizing story tellers who tell stories using symbolism, so it was in my nature to do the same.

I can make something magical and wonderful out of nothing.

Practically everybody in New York has half a mind to write a book, and does.

I’m really bad with answering questions. Usually, I don’t even answer them. I try to find inspiration inside of the question. I think, and I jump from one beam of inspiration or energy to the next, as opposed to explaining the energy.

Inspiration is hard to come by. You have to take it where you find it.

Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat.

Racing, competing, it’s in my blood. It’s part of me, it’s part of my life; I have been doing it all my life and it stands out above everything else.

I came, I saw, I conquered.

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.

I think a number of the leaders are, whether you like it or not, in the hip-hop generation. And when they understand enough, they’ll do wonders. I count on them.

It’s lack that gives us inspiration. It’s not fullness.

Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success.

Commit yourself to a mighty purpose.

The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.

Basketball is booming, and it’s not just an Under Armour standpoint: it’s about the game itself. Kids going out and playing and being inspired by what we do on the court.

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.

If you are lucky enough to find something that you love, and you have a shot at being good at it, don’t stop, don’t put it down.

I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean.

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

Not what I have, but what I do is my kingdom.

Talk that does not end in any kind of action is better suppressed altogether.

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.

I’m gonna go hard no matter what because I gotta feed my family, and I gotta feed myself.

If you have passion, there is no need for excuses because your enthusiasm will trump any negative reasoning you might come up with. Enthusiasm makes excuses a nonissue.

The true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality.

I am impelled, not to squeak like a grateful and apologetic mouse, but to roar like a lion out of pride in my profession.

Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.

If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.

If there be no enemy there’s no fight. If no fight, no victory and if no victory there is no crown.

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.

The future is like heaven, everyone exalts it, but no one wants to go there now.

My whole life and my whole career, even through my music, I tell people: let’s unify; let’s show more love.

I’ve never had writer’s block.

A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.

Never mistake motion for action.

When you draw or paint a tree, you do not imitate the tree; you do not copy it exactly as it is, which would be mere photography. To be free to paint a tree or a flower or a sunset, you have to feel what it conveys to you: the significance, the meaning of it.

It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.

Every noble work is at first impossible.

Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.

You have to motivate yourself with challenges. That’s how you know you’re still alive.

All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.

And I love that even in the toughest moments, when we’re all sweating it – when we’re worried that the bill won’t pass, and it seems like all is lost – Barack never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise. Just like his grandmother, he just keeps getting up and moving forward… with patience and wisdom, and courage and grace.

Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole, clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!

There has to be something in every role that interests you.

A man can do only what he can do. But if he does that each day he can sleep at night and do it again the next day.

It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.

Working hard is very important. You’re not going to get anywhere without working extremely hard.

You see, God helps only people who work hard. That principle is very clear.

Everyone needs a coach. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast or a bridge player.

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

When I am writing, I do not distinguish between the natural and supernatural. Everything seems real. That is my world, you could say.

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.

Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes,‘ he said, his voice rising as applause and cheers mounted. ‚Shake it off. Stop complainin‘. Stop grumblin‘. Stop cryin‘. We are going to press on. We have work to do.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

I have the ’77 Million Paintings‘ running in my studio a lot of the time. Occasionally I’ll look up from what I’m doing and I think, ‚God, I’ve never seen anything like that before!‘ And that’s a real thrill.

You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.

Stand a little less between me and the sun.

We must think and act like a nation of a billion people and not like that of a million people. Dream, dream, dream!