Nas Inspirational Quotes

For my hustlers, here's some motivation: He who has begun is half done.

No temporary chaos is worth your sanity. Just knowing that whatever happens, it happens to the best of them too.

Some people work hard to be something that they're not, and I don't work at all, I'm just me. And that can bother anybody I'm not working nearly as hard as the other guys, and they don't like it.

I'm never gonna die, never heard of death, energy can never be destroyed only the flesh, so when you try to murder me with bullets to the head this is why you can't kill me niggaz, I'm already dead.

No temporary chaos is worth your sanity.

I fell in love with words and I think that made my mom smile. I think that was cool for her.

I'm a firm believer that we all meet up in eternity Just hope the big man show me some courtesy.

My weapon of choice is my voice.

All fatherhood is very important because single mothers shouldn't have to raise sons or daughters; they need that help.

There's really nothing better than music to bring people together and to have amazing music being not just created inside walls but then decimating and activating is going to be special.

I promise you, if you have a plan, you can accomplish everything you ever wanted

Let the music diffuse all the tension.

People give me a better understanding on things that I said, or a different way to look at it.

I'm never gonna die, never heard of death, energy can never be destroyed only the flesh.

Life is parallel to Hell but I must maintain and be prosperous, though we live dangerous.

The hardest thing is to forgive, but God does, even if you murdered or robbed, ya it's wrong, but God loves, take one step toward him he'll take two toward you, even when all else fails, God'll support you

Africa has been going through so much for so many years; it's time that it stands up the way other nations are standing up.

It hurts to see anybody in pain, if you've got any kind of heart.

Respect all fear none my pride is everything

Life is short is what some niggaz said; not if you measure life - by how one lives and what he did.

Just do as much as you can.

Use your own intuition. You are tomorrow.

Some seek fame cause they need validation, Some say hating is confused admiration.

If I ruled the world Imagine that...

I'm just flowing through, when I see things, I talk about 'em. And it's cool. I don't want any title. I just say what I say, and hopefully somebody gets it. I'm not perfect, and I'm just here and trying to make a dollar, and being real at the same time.

Beyond the walls of intelligence, life is defined

Your look reflects whats happening in your mind.

God gushed me out his nuts, the devil swallowed me up and I burnt a hole in his guts

Once you make it to your point of making it, you'll appreciate the struggle.

Street's disciple, my raps are trifle. I shoot slugs from my brain just like a rifle.

I've gone through too much, from beefs to divorce to my mom passing which I always expressed in my music, so there's not album that sticks out as more important than the other to me.

To me, creatively challenging myself is my version of owning the Nets.

Hip-hop is the streets. Hip-hop is a couple of elements that it comes from back in the days... that feel of music with urgency that speaks to you. It speaks to your livelihood and it's not compromised. It's blunt. It's raw, straight off the street - from the beat to the voice to the words.

I don't meditate. Silence is golden though.

I don't have time for the news clippings. I got my own mission.

Mind's in another world thinking how can we exist through the facts

Everything will eventually come to an end, So try to savor the moment, cause time flies, don't it? The beauty of life, you gotta make it last for the better, Cause nothin' lasts forever.

Whats up with your motto? Will you lead? Will you follow?

Business, endorsements and things of that nature, I got into it kinda naturally. Those ventures materialised as a direct result of things that I was actually doing; all the partnerships have been organic and not necessarily etched out plans for monetary gain.

I don't respect killers, I respect O.G. knowledge, Codes of the streets got new rules, but no guidance. Lessons, detrimental to a young disciple; Folks, take care of your brothers, niggas do as I do. Keep your enemies close, where they can see you. It's not your enemy who get you, it's always your own people.

I just enjoy life now. I just enjoy every morning I get to wake up.

Turnin' nothin' into somethin' is God work, and you get nothin' without struggle and hard work

No Ideas original - there is nothing new under the sun.

In the past I had to deal with issues that hit me as a younger man. As a man who wasn't married who didn't really have the experience that I have now. Today I'm a different guy.

I'm sure we're gonna meet some bumps in the road, but if it's meant to be it will happen.

If the truth is told, the youth can grow Then learn to survive until they gain control Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes Read more learn more, change the globe

You are who you associate with. Look around at your five closest friends and that's who you are. If you don't want to be that person, you know what you gotta do.

Act your age don't pretend to be older than you are give yourself time to grow

You only have one first chance to make one first impression that lasts a lifetime.

The flaws, the mistakes I make - that's the real me.

I don't get jealousy, I don't get how people hate each other - I never did.

No idea is original, there's nothing new under the sun, it's never what you do, but how it's done

If the truth is told, the youth can grow.

You have to keep your vision clear, cause only a coward lives in fear.

That buck that bought a bottle could have struck the lotto

At one point, the old school club retires and you're next up to bat, but if you stop before your time, you will see someone else live your dream.

Born alone, die alone, no crew to keep my crown or throne

My success symbolizes loyalty, great friends, Dedication, hard work, routine builds character. In a world full of snakes, rats and scavengers

I got the opportunity to meet people all over the world. Brilliant women, tall women, short women, slim women, thick women, you name it. But, I don't meet them. I have the opportunities to and it's a little bit - I'm a little shy, so I don't meet them and I don't know who's right for me.

I've learned not to be surprised by what people do no more.

When you're a teenager, you want to meet a lot of girls - you want to get the most girls. You don't know anything about respect; you don't know anything about being faithful and loyal to your girlfriend.

Hip-hop ain't died because of the South, that's retarded. When I named the album originally, I thought I bit off more than I could chew but you'd be an idiot to think I'm talking about how the South killed hip-hop or how New York isn't where it should be or where it once was. It was like, "Damn, I need to explain this?" But I thought, "Nah, the proof is right there. We should know what it is." I expect the hip-hop audience to be avant garde. I want them to be where I'm at or beyond where I'm at.

I'm the young city bandit, hold myself down singlehanded For murder raps, I kick my thoughts alone, get remanded Born alone, die alone, no crew to keep my crown or throne I'm deep by sound alone, caved inside in a thousand miles from home

I love the art world, I love art galleries, I love what it means - I love art.

Just sitting in silence is one of the best things a man can do.

Whose world is this? The world is yours.

Always observe, watch, and talk to older people.

Play it cool, that's the old school rule man.

Every great person educates themselves.

It's foul what this money could do, cash corrupts the loyal.

But uhh, a thug changes, and love changes and best friends become strangers, word up

When I made Illmatic, I was trying to make the perfect album. It comes from the days of Wild Style. I was trying to make you experience my life. I wanted you to look at hip-hop differently. I wanted you to feel that hip-hop was changing and becoming something more real.

How can you lose when you're doing you?

I don't go out unless I'm working. My quality time is when I'm doing nothing.

"Never stop. Never settle." I believe in this message.

The reason I want to be alone, is I'm tired of all the things that went wrong that would've went right if I had did 'em on my own

You a slave to a page in my rhyme book.

Rule No. 1 is you can't be fake. If you're fake, you become a gimmick and you're selling a gimmick; a little gimmick is cool, this is entertainment. But when you base your stuff on mostly real stuff, you never run out of it because every day is a different adventure.

My duration's infinite, money-wise or physiology.

Big L scared me to death. When I heard that on tape, I was scared to death. I was like there's no way I can compete if this is what I gotta compete with.

You can't please everybody. You['d] be crazy if you're trying to. So take some time out to do some things for yourself.

The greatest sin is fear and giving up.

I'm over dey heads like a bulemic on a seesaw

Don't ever give up on yourself. Keep pushing because the change of guards is what life's all about. [...] You've always got to stick with whatever you're into because you're day is going to come. You're day is destined. If you walk away from that, whether it be from fear or whether you're just giving up. [...] The greatest sin is fear and giving up.

Much success to you, even if you wish me the opposite.

Speak what I want, I don't care what y'all feel. 'Cause I'm my own master, my Pop told me be your own boss. Keep integrity at every cost.

Anything that's really good, everybody wants to put their hands on. The multimedia puts their hands on it and everything happens that makes it global. Then people forget the roots of it and people forget why they care about it, and then it gets torn apart and turns so commercial that you don't even know what the essence of this art form is even about.

...Shorty's laugh was cold-blooded as he spoke so foul, Only twelve tryin to tell me that he liked my style. Then I rose, wiping the blunt's ash from my clothes, Then froze, only to blow the herb smoke through my nose.

The Chinamen built the railroad, the Indians saved the Pilgrim, And in return, the Pilgrim killed 'em. They call it it Thanksgiving, I call your holiday 'hell-day.'

With rap music, because it's all so on the street, you get treated like a street cat: "All right, you've been eatin' enough, you're fat, get out of the way now and let somebody else come by."

But whats it all worth, cant take it when you under this earth Rich men died and tried, but none of it worked They just rob your grave, Id rather be alive and paid Before my numbers called, historys made Somell fall, but I rise, thug or die Makin choices, that determine my future under the sky To rob steal or kill, Im wondering why Its a dirty game, is any man worthy of fame? Much to success to ya, even if you wish me the opposite Sooner or later we'll all see who the prophet is.

I pledge allegiance to the fair and balanced truth. Not the biased truth, Not the liest truth, But the highest truth.

There's not one person in the world that's not a living, walking contradiction.

I want to have fun. It's a beautiful life. You learn, you win, you lose, but you get up.

When I write a story, I just wanna tell you what's in my head. It can come from real life and then turn into fantasy, stuff just rhyming. And write about what you know. I just like to tell stories that have not been told or [told] from my perspective.

I know you think my life is good 'cause my diamond piece, But my life been good since I started finding peace.

I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death.

Don't speak to fools, they scorn the wisdom of your words.

I can't control what people think. They know who I am.

I think a lot of us know when it's our time. No matter what profession you're in, you get a feeling. If you worked on it long enough, you know when it's ready.

The whole thing is, do as much as you can, when you possibly can, and don't stress.

If you scared to take chances, you'll never have the answers...

If you really believe in yourself and your music that much, you're gonna do your thing, regardless what people say.

Working with great people makes you great; you learn a lot and it also gives you the experience and confidence to move on with your own career.

I'm capable of anything, my imagination can give me wings