Don't be flirting with your gift, you better marry it

It's hard as a person to just put your life out there for the world to judge. That's what music is and what you're supposed to do with the art, live and release it to the world.

I love myself, I no longer need Cupid...

Never blame a man for misfortune, do it yourself.

I was the darkest skinned person in my family. I remember how I used to feel - like I wasn't pretty enough, or I wasn't good enough.

Some days you're depressed, some days you're happy, some days you're broken hearted. People need music for therapy, to heal them or speak for them when they can't describe how they're feeling.

Being simple and complicated at the same is what makes Jay-Z so great.

I want to be great at what I do. I don't want to be just an average rapper.

When you tell a story and connect with somebody through an emotion that's why they like songs.

When I was young what made me really want to be a rapper was when I saw MC Lyte.

As learnèd commentators viewIn Homer more than Homer knew.

Submitting seemed to me a lot like giving up. If God gave us the strength to bail- the gumption to try and save ourselves- isn't that what he wanted us to do?

The glory of youth is their strength.

What you love will live in your heart and grow.

Failure is only temporary

Sometimes life gives you a little punch in the stomach... You just gotta catch your breath and keep going.

I don't even call it violence when it's in self defense I call it intelligence.

The entire universe is a great theatre of mirrors.

When I came to Chelsea from West Ham there were certain parts of my game I felt I needed to improve and I like to think now that I have shown dramatic improvement.

Be yourself. Don't imitate other poets. You are as important as they are.

Creativity is our birthright. It is an integral part of being human, as basic as walking, talking and thinking.