Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Breathe in...inhale vapors from bright stars that shine, Breathe out...weed smoke retrace the skyline.
What I take from writers I like is their economy - the ability to use language to very effective ends.
They say that when a man faces his destiny, the destiny ends and he becomes the man that he really is.
I don't want to waste anyone's time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift.
I was taught when there's somethin' you can change around keep quiet, you got nothin' to complain about.
This thing called rhymin' is no different than coal minin'; We both on assignment to unearth the diamond.
There are a lot of people who call themselves teachers or leaders, but they're really just propagandists.
To me, playing an instrument and singing, all of these different things are just as natural to me as rhyming.
You can positively affect and change a social circumstance with art, and it’s vital that a change happens now.
Crack mothers, crack babies and AIDS patients Youngbloods can't spell, but they could rock you in PlayStation.
I just don't think it's very dignified to ask people to like you. You can just wind up being somebody's ottoman.
I don't hate nobody. I hate certain conditions that are inflicted upon the people - and they're helpless with it.
I'm growing as an individual, but your always growing. All of my albums are snapshots of where I am artistically.
I didn't want to have to deal with having any moniker or separation between the self that I see and know myself as.
I want to be necessary and do good works. I ain't here to waste nobody's time, because I don't want you to waste mine.
I don't care about what brand you are, I'm concerned what type of man you are, what your principles and standards are.
I guess something that you love to do, you gotta ease up off it and give it a little space, come back and be fresh to it.
If Islam's sole interest is the welfare of mankind, then Islam is the strongest advocate of human rights anywhere on Earth.
Focused. I'm a hustler. And my hustle is trying to figure out the best ways to do what I like without having to do much else.
I don't mind being black. I'm black out loud. It's more than the people that they are, it's the condition that they represent.
Fame is like getting across the street. It's like, if there's nothing to be across the street for, it's a pointless destination.
Hip-hop is a beautiful culture. It's inspirational, because it's a culture of survivors. You can create beauty out of nothingness.
The moment you start thinking it's hopeless, then it is. [But], if you think it's gonna get better, it really does. Life is a test.
I'm inspired by playwrights, novelists, poets: The value of language has been a lifelong passion of mine. I enjoy it. I'm good at it.
Record companies are not necessarily interested in you realizing your artistic dream. The bottom line is that they got to sell records.
That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn't be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind.
I'm an independent thinker. And I'm not the poster child for any movement. I'm trying to support whatever's right no matter where it is.
I don't have advice for people on how to dress. People should dress based on what they find beautiful. My best advice: Keep your clothes clean.
If you're going to do Chuck Berry, you got to, you know, go all out, and the duck walk is just kind of you know, cursory. That's like standing.
I can't take it y'all I can feel the city breathin Chest heavin, against the flesh of the evening Sigh before we die like the last train leaving
I get reminded a lot of the time that my life is a little bit different, but I'm just trying to keep it as regular as possible because I like it that way
I dreamt that I could paint you with words, but there were no colors bright enough, black or white enough, blue or green enough...they didn't mean enough
I get reminded a lot of the time that my life is a little bit different, but I'm just trying to keep it as regular as possible because I like it that way.
Everything's got space between it, the planets, trees, your eyes. Your eyes get too close together, it's a whole different world. You can lose perspective.
I feel like I was the only person who was capable of making this type of music in this type of way. I don't rap like nobody, I don't try to sound like nobody.
If it's just fame for the sake of being famous, no one even cares about you - and you don't even care about yourself because you're like, "This is so ridiculous."
I have no confidence issues with the impact or the quality of the music. No one in hip-hop, before this point and to this point, with all due respect, has done this.
It’s one thing to be the greatest; it’s another thing to be necessary. The best are the most necessary: those who take less than they give and love more than they hate.
You've got to validate every day. There are those who just put a stamp on it and say, "This is gonna be a good day and I'm not gonna let anything else make it a bad day."
It wouldn't be fair to cast aspersions on an entire cultural movement based on the actions of a few. To quote my grandfather, 'One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch.'
With guys I revere, like Marcus Garvey or Malcolm X, their look is less about style than purpose and the expression of beauty. It wasn't just about being noticed, you know?
I'm not shy about heated debate or passionate discourse, but when people get crazy or rude, that's a buzz kill. There's got to be a better code of conduct, some basic etiquette.
Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years. It's a name that the streets taught me, a figure of speech that was given to me by the culture and by my environment.
I come from a family of very devout, praying people. That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn't be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind.
Peace before everything, God before anything, Love before anything, real before everything, Home before any place, shoot before anything, Style and state radiate, Love Power slay the hate.
It's possible and available to any artist to be himself or herself on their own terms, to be accepted and embraced by black people. You don't have to be a thug to get love from black people.
The test in life nowadays is just trying to keep yourself charged up with enough good feeling. It's like, "OK what am I going to do to feel really good today?" Not like, some chick or a drink.
I began to fear that Mos Def was being treated as a product, not a person, so I've been going by Yasiin since '99. At first it was just for friends and family, but now I'm declaring it openly.
African art is functional, it serves a purpose. It's not a dormant. It's not a means to collect the largest cheering section. It should be healing, a source a joy. Spreading positive vibrations.
I don't wanna get into that space where a lot of guys now, their solo album is like eight or 10 songs with other people, you don't get an idea of who this guy is. I just wasn't interested in that.