Kanye West is an American rapper and record producer and has been active in the music industry since 1996. He has numerous singles and albums that have been certified as hits and have also won many awards. West has won a total of 260 awards and holds around 750 nominations!
He is considered to be one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Besides being an incredibly popular hip-hop rapper and songwriter, West is also a widely recognised fashion designer.
West has had quite a thrilling journey from battling for success to finally achieving it and shining as bright as a star. And because of his experience, he has been able to give some colossally inspiring and ideal quotes. Here is a list of some of the best Kanye West Quotes:
If you have the opportunity to play this game of life you need to appreciate every moment. a lot of people don't appreciate the moment until it's passed.
Most of the people realise the worth of a moment after it has passed and is no longer there. Never take anything, or any moment in life for granted because if you do, you will only realise its true value when you no longer have access to it. This is why one should always appreciate life and everything that passes one by because if you fail to do so, it will slip away from your vision before you could have even thought about it.
For me, money is not my definition of success. Inspiring people is a definition of success.
Being an influential and successful figure in the music industry, West has earned not only a huge amount of fame but also great wealth. But he has also inspired innumerable people and has been idealised by countless of his fans.
And this is why he says, that the money or the luxuries don't define how successful a person is; it is the idea of inspiring other people and being someone who they look up to, that really defines success.
Our work is never over.
Nobody's work is over till the day they leave this world. We might take some time off to relax or rest, but that does not mean our work is done. Life is all about achievements, success, and doing something, be it anything you want to do. And even after having attained your aim, the work is never just over there. Instead, one should see it as only the beginning and should never stop the hustle and keep working towards their dreams.
Know your worth! People always act like they're doing more for you than you are doing for them.
Never let anybody blind you by your own worth! People tend to act like they are putting in more efforts, energy, and their time than you are, even when that is not the case at times. This is why it is essential to know one's own value because if you are not self-aware, then people will take advantage of that and use you for their personal benefits and gains. But when you already know your worth and where you stand, nobody would be able to tell you otherwise, and you will always be on guard too.
The risk for me would be in not taking one – that's the only thing that's really risky for me.
Life is all about taking risks and enduring challenges. West here is trying to highlight the same message as he says that the biggest risk is not taking one.
Without taking risks, neither would one be able to grow or learn, nor would one be actually living their life to the fullest. This is why taking risks is a rather crucial aspect of life because if you don't try something out, you will never know how it would have turned out, and the burden of "what ifs" is too huge to bear. So, always take risks in life to learn new things and to grow.
Our focus needs to be less on what our legacy's going to be or how we can control each other and more how we can give to each other.
Rather than bringing each other down, we should be more focused on helping each other up; rather than resenting and controlling each other; we should be keener on sharing and giving to each other. This is because true power resides in kindness and compassion, and not in hatred or bitterness.
The most genius thing about the way I create is to create with other geniuses.
Here West is acknowledging other people, especially those with whom he has worked or collaborated. This quote delivers a rather important message of expressing gratitude towards other people who have ever helped you in any way possible and appreciate the ones who have been there for you in any way possible.
Nobody can tell me where I can and can't go.
West showcases a rather strong and profound emotion through this quote. He is trying to deliver the message that just like nobody has the authority to tell him how to live his life, we shouldn't give it to people too.
No one but you know the best for yourself, and nobody has the right to tell you what you can do and what you can't, and where you can go and where you can't. So, don't hand over that power to anyone because it is sacred in its own way.
Recognise and embrace your flaws so you can learn from them. Sometimes it takes a little polishing to truly shine.
Nobody is perfect or flawless; everyone is unique in their own way. This is why one should always try to accept and embrace their flaws, instead of trying to resent them or be embarrassed about them; rather, the former shows the most maturity and growth.
If you wish to become the best version of yourself, you have to work for it; you have to learn from your mistakes, and not get discouraged by them and similarly, you have to embrace and endure your flaws, and not hate yourself for them.
I'm not comfortable with comfort. I'm only comfortable when I'm in a place where I'm constantly growing and learning.
In order to learn new things and grow in life, one needs to get out of their comfort zone and try new and difficult things, things that one normally wouldn't do. This is because you cannot excel if you don't get out of your comfort zone and face challenges and do new things in life or take risks; life is all about taking risks.
Doing what you know you can, is not a big deal, rather, even attempting to do something you believe you cannot, is what reflects your growth and change in life the most.
I refuse to accept other people's ideas of happiness for me. As if there's a 'one size fits all' standard for happiness.
West lives by only one rule in his life, and that is doing what makes him happy and not being bothered by people's perspectives of whether or not that is the definition of happiness. And you should do that too!
Everyone's idea of happiness and perception of being happy is different; something that makes you happy might not have the same effect on somebody else, and something that makes someone else happy, isn't necessarily going to make you happy either. This is why West says that there is no "'one size fits all' standard for happiness", because everyone tends to think and function differently and nobody has the right to belittle anybody else.
Continue reading some more Kanye West Quotes....
They say people in your life are seasons and anything that happens is for a reason.
Kanye has compared people with seasons because just as seasons change, people tend to change too, and as one goes, another one is bound to come by. And it might not look like it, but everything does happen for a reason. If a particular person isn't in your life anymore, that is because he/she were not meant to be.
Criticism can bother you, but you should be more bothered if there's no criticism. That means you're too safe.
Taking criticism is quite difficult and might make you feel upset at times, but it not worse than not having any criticism at all because if that's the case, then you must look into the situation and analyse it; you're not doing it right if everybody admires you or your work. Besides, constructive criticism is indeed necessary for one's growth in life and is an important part of learning too.
People will have a problem with whatever you do. At the end of the day, nobody can determine what you need to do in order to be successful and why would you listen to someone who is not successful tell you what you need to do?
It is you, and only you, who knows what is best for yourself and nobody else. No one else can, or should ever dictate to you, how to live your own life because it is you who has to bear the consequences of your actions and not them.
Besides, people tend to have different perceptions so it is best to have one of your own and stick to it; and you should never even listen to someone who isn't successful tell you how to be so because they themselves don't know it.
Most people are slowed down by the perception of themselves. If you're taught you can't do anything, you won't do anything. I was taught I can do everything.
If you have the will power, the determination, and the dedication, nothing and no one would be able to stop you from becoming who you want to be, or from attaining your aims. But always remember that it is in you to be able to do something and it is only in your control. If you believe in yourself, only then you will be able to go further in life; for a plan to execute properly, you need to be sure about it and have enough faith in it.
Living well eliminates the need for revenge.
The best revenge would be not to do anything at all! Once the other person sees that you aren't even bothered to retaliate in any way and are living your life without any issues, it is automatically going to get on his/her nerves.
If you are doing good in your own life, then there would be no need for you to do anything bad in anybody else's. That is why the best revenge is no revenge at all.
Nothing in life is promised except death.
There is always the slightest possibility of everything changing, even as you are doing something, there is a chance that it won't go your way at all; nothing in life is promised to go in a certain way, and the only thing that is promised, happens to be death. No matter what one does, there is going to come one day in life when they would have to leave this world because death is inevitable.
I don't care about what people think, because people don't think.
One should never care about what others think or have to say about you and how you live life, because most of the times they aren't even analysing or thinking anything; they are just looking for a way to belittle or demean someone and project their insecurities on somebody else. This is why one should always do whatever it is that they feel is right because at the end of the day, someone or the other is going to at least try to bring you down, so might as well live life your way.
For me, giving up is harder than trying.
Here West seems to have talked from experience; coming from such a competitive industry of music, he has shared his opinion on trying and giving up.
He has tried to say that trying is difficult and challenging but giving up is even more so. This is because trying something and failing at it is never worse than not trying at all or giving up halfway.
People never change. They just become better at hiding who they really are.
People seldom change into someone brand new. They simply put on a façade and keep putting more on until their true self is as good as invisible. One of the major reasons for this is that people are too lazy and unbothered even to grasp the idea of change, and so they attempt to just hide themselves until nobody can identify who they really are.
Banner Image Credits: Kanye West: “An artist should be irresponsible in a way – a three-year-old.” Photograph: Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty
Co-author: Khushi Shah
Khushi has just passed her school and is now studying at PDPU. Apart from writing, she likes to sketch and dance. She also has other blogs where she posts proses and poetry.
