Hip-hop educated me about other forms of music, because it sampled from all different styles.

We live in an era of consumerism and it's all about desire-based consumerism and it has nothing to do with things we actually need.

You can feel a lot of things, and that's okay. Channel that into your passion.

Industry executives sacrificed art for what sells and mega-stars now saturate the market with the same tired lyrics.

In school, I studied psychology, linguistics, neuroscience. I understand that there is a real lack of respect for the brain.

Compassion can change a lot of things, including the world. Young people especially need to know that, because they're the future.

What do you actually need? Food, clothing and shelter. Everything else is entertainment.

People need to spread love towards strangers. We all bleed the same blood and we are all part of a global community now.

So wake me up when it's all over When I'm wiser and I'm older All this time I was finding myself And I didn't know I was lost

Salsa, classic rock, soul music, jazz... all of that was a part of my education in making hip-hop music.

America's biggest export is media and I think that's a positive thing.

The Gift of Truth excels all other Gifts.

Romance is very pretty in novels, but the romance of a life is always a melancholy matter. They are most happy who have no story to tell.

Because thou writest me often, I thank thee ... Never do I receive a letter from thee, but immediately we are together.

The true worth of a man is not seen in the value his money gives him but in the value he gives his money by the uses he puts it to

Writing is a lonely business, which if allowed publicity and socializing it might deteriorate. Supportive people understand the need of a writer to withdraw to the solitude of oneself.

Faith in oneself unlocks those hidden powers that all of us have, but that so few of us use.

The Elizabethan age might be better named the beginning of the smoking era.

I am not one for half measures or half-hearted efforts.

I want to be real. I want to be a real person. That's what an artist is. An artist has to be honest. Without honesty, there's nothing.

In my opinion in art nothing can go too far as long as you don't physically hurt people or animals. Art is there to push boundaries. I love it when my work freaks people out but it's all fake!