Jay-Z Quotes

I came, I saw, I conquered From record sales to sold out concerts.

By the time I got to record my first album, I was 26, I didn't need pen or paper - my memory had been trained just to listen to a song, think of the words, and lay them to tape.

Got some, dirt on my shoulder, could you brush it off for me?

Far from a Harvard student, just had the balls to do it

I think Lil Wayne is extremely talented. I think he's one of the most talented ones out there.

And through our travels we get separated, never forget: In order to survive, got to learn to live with regrets.

The day Obama got elected, the gangsta became less relevant.

I grew up in Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, and my mom and pop had an extensive record collection, so Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder and all of those sounds and souls of Motown filled the house.

I don't even like the word politics. It implies something underhanded and I think we need less government.

In the end, you can't censor the truth, especially when it comes packaged in hot music.

I can think of no one more relevant and credible in the hip-hop community to build upon Def Jam's fantastic legacy and move the company into its next groundbreaking era.

Shakespeare was a man who wrote poetry. I'm a man who writes poetry. Why not compare yourself to the best?

I smoked some weed, and that's how I finished 'Izzo.'

As fate would have it, Jay's status appears To be at an all-time high, perfect time to say goodbye When I come back like Jordan, wearing the 4-5.

Ex-D-boy, used to park my Beamer Now look at me, I can park in my own arena

Cough up a lung where I'm from marcy son, aint nothin nice

Can I hit it in the morning with out giving you have of my dough?

When people say stuff like, "Oh, that's soft rock. I don't listen to that," I find that elitist. It's music-racist.

Everyone needs a chance to evolve.

I like a girl who spend a little cash for her shoes.

[Banning marriage equality is] discrimination, plain and simple. It's really not about votes. It's about people. I think it's the right thing to do as a human being.

Hip-hop is a perfect mix between poetry and boxing.

People really feel like music is free, but will pay $6 for water. You can drink water free out of the tap and it's good water. But they're okay paying for it. It's just the mindset right now.

It's hilarious a lot of times. You have a conversation with someone, and he's like, 'You speak so well!' I'm like, 'What do you mean? Do you understand that's an insult?

I'm a person that works off of music. I let the music dictate the direction.

The Nets' a stone throw from where I used to throw bricks ...So it's only right I'm still tossing 'round Knicks.

A poet's mission is to make words do more work than they normally do, to make them work on more than one level.

I am not a businessman. I am a business, man.

People who don't know you, you don't know their motives. They smile at you all day, "Oh, that's great. You've done it again! You're the greatest!" And that's not good for an artist.

My brands are an extension of me. They're close to me. It's not like running GM, where there's no emotional attachment.

I dumb down for my audience and double my dollars...

Whoever said that artists shouldn't pay attention to their business was probably someone w/their hand in some artist's pocket.

I got this black chick, she don't know how to act Always talkin' out her neck, makin' her fingers snap She like, "Listen Jigga Man, I don't care if you rap You better - R-E-S-P-E-C-T me

I really just like breaking down the barriers, whether it means doing an album with Linkin Park, an album with R. Kelly, or playing at the Brandenburg Gate with Bono.

If you want the old me, go buy my old albums.

The reason I've been groundedand able to make albums, is because I've allowed my friends to come with me and voice an opinion. That's who keeps you grounded, the people who have known you longest.

Little brothers ring fingers get cut up to show mothers they really got em.

I gave you prophecy on my first joint, and y'all lamed out Didn't really appreciate it, 'til the second one came out

Driving Benzes with no benefits, not bad huh, for some immigrants?

Housing projects can seem like labyrinths to outsiders, as complicated and intimidating as a Moroccan bazaar. But we knew our way around.

This communist talk is so confusing

No, I'm not interested in politics. I have zero interest. I have interest in hope and people.

I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can.

Religion is like a personal computer. You let people in if you want to... We're all gods.

I love what I do, and when you love what you do, you want to be the best at it.

Belief in oneself and knowing who you are, I mean, that's the foundation for everything great.

My mom always taught me - you know, little boys listen to their moms too much - that whatever you put into something is what you're going to get out of it.