I began to fear that Mos Def was being treated as a product, not a person, so I've been going by Yasiin since '99. At first it was just for friends and family, but now I'm declaring it openly.

I don't care about what brand you are, I'm concerned what type of man you are, what your principles and standards are.

Fear not of men because men must die. Mind over matter and soul before flesh.

I dreamt that I could paint you with words, but there were no colors bright enough, black or white enough, blue or green enough...they didn't mean enough

Make today's solid ground out of yesterday's quicksand.

Good art provides people with a vocabulary about things they can't articulate.

They say that when a man faces his destiny, the destiny ends and he becomes the man that he really is.

It’s one thing to be the greatest; it’s another thing to be necessary. The best are the most necessary: those who take less than they give and love more than they hate.

My presence speaks volumes before I say a word.

That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn't be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind.

I don't want to waste anyone's time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift.

There are no mistakes in life" he answered. "Just lessons. Make sure you learn from this one.

We fight the same and we love the same. Just because we are different does not mean that we aren’t equal.

I squared my shoulders, trying to ignore the fact that I was standing in the apartment of the sea witch, wearing a fairy-tale prom gown, waiting for the attack of the mermaids.

What is man without the beasts? For if all the beast were gone, man would die of a great loneliness of the spirit.

Work is the only thing I do to escape the corruption of praise.

Success is not going to just come to you. You must go out and get it.

When humans become gods, when our wings grow so great as to beat about the very edges of the earth, no one can answer but us.

If you don't feel comfortable playing a role, if you're in a scenario that's not conducive for that kind of environment, then that's when you don't do well.

I identified very much with punk, not only in the fashion sector, but in every other sector. The very nature of doing something new and free meant something that was against authority.

[I'm a conscious parent when I] believe that my child is here to teach me as much about myself and how I need to grow, as I am here to teach them.