Kendrick Lamar is massively respected as an icon in the world of hip hop. We should know – we listen to his music often here at Execute Resources. The next generation finds inspiration in his lyrics and sayings, and I hope you’re motivated by this list of quotes:
1. We’re all human at the end of the day, making mistakes. But learn from them is the key.
2. The message I’m sending to myself – I can’t change the world until I change myself first.
3. Forgiving is easy. Trusting again, not so much.
4. I got a greater purpose. God put something in my heart to get across and that’s what I’m going to focus on, using my voice as an instrument and doing what needs to be done.
5. Ya’ll don’t want me to win. I’m tryna follow dreams, you want me to follow trends.
6. Can’t let the government tell me how my future lookin’.
7. I had to come from something, come from a place that was negative and positive but the majority of it is a negative place.
8. Live your life, live it right. Be different, do different things.
9. The best thing is to always keep honest people around, because when you have a bunch of yes men around that know that you’re making a mistake but let you go on with it, that’s when it ruins your mind state as an artist.
10. Consequences from evil will make your past haunt you.
11. Eventually you get to this point where you understand what you want to do and get across and sound like.
12. Don’t you know your imperfections is a blessing.
13. I like to let things breathe.
14. As long as my music is real, it’s no limit to how many ears I can grab.
15. We hurt people that love us, love people that hurt us.
16. I ain’t a drinker I’m a thinker, call it what you want.
17. I’m trying to learn something new. I’m trying to surround myself with people that inspire me, or at least inquire similar desire.
18. Don’t say one thing then do another.
19. We look so much on color that we forget about the soul.
20. Life will put many red lights in front of you, but sometimes we must push on the gas and trust god.
21. When you give up it means you never wanted it.
22. I don’t talk about these things if I haven’t lived them, and I’ve hurt people in my life. It’s something I still have to think about when I sleep at night. The message I’m sending to myself – I can’t change the world until I change myself first.
23. Life to me is currency, prosperity I got it
24. I learned, when I look in the mirror and tell my story, that I should be myself and not peep whatever everybody is doing.
25. I don’t want to be something that just comes and goes.
26. If I speak the good into existence, that instant my dreams will unlock, money flow like water, I’ll just wait at the dock.
27. Love is not just a verb. It’s you looking in the mirror.
28. I look at where I’m at today and realize that most of my success is owed to the mentors that was in my life.
29. Sometimes you just need to distance yourself from people… if they care, they’ll notice. If they don’t, you know where you stand.
30. Temptation is just the feeling that you’re the most independent person on planet earth. That you know everything. That’s something that we all go through as a kid. Now, this lifestyle that I’m in, the same thing exists! But it’s 10 times worse, because everything is at my disposal. When you’re in the limelight, you can get anything you want.
31. Look at me, I’m a loser, I’m a winner, I’m good, I’m bad. I’m a sinner, I’m a killer. What I’m doing, I’m saying that I’m human.
32. The hardest thing for – not only an artist but for anybody to do is look themselves in the mirror and acknowledge, you know, their own flaws and fears and imperfections and put them out there in the open for people to relate to it.
33. I walk alone with a cross and a diamond stone. I’m a diamond inside the rough, that’s too mighty for maricons.
34. I live this life at a pace that anyone can go, know your place and dedicate your role, to the faith that you’ll die alone.
35. It’s a great, great experience to finally get the reception that you know you rightfully deserve.
36. My whole thing is to inspire, to better people, to better myself forever in this thing that we call rap, this thing that we call hip hop.
37. I think my worst problem is actually living in the moment and understanding everything that’s going on. I feel like I’m in my own bubble.
38. Whatever pressure I feel all comes from me, from within. I always was that person who was hard on myself and challenged myself no matter what I was doing, whether it was passing third grade or playing basketball.
39. My whole thing is to inspire, to better people, to better myself forever in this thing that we call rap, this thing that we call hip hop.
40. If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?
41. So the next time you feel like the world’s about to end, I hope you studied, because he’s testing your faith again.
42. I was a black sheep, but now I’m just a goat.
43. People gonna be they own individuals and have they own worlds and I can’t knock it.
44. Don’t wait until it’s too late, you might not get another chance.
45. The worst part of success is, to me, adapting to it. It’s scary.
46. I’m only as good as my last word, my last hook, my last bridge.
47. If a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it.
48. But what love go to do with it when you don’t love yourself?
49. From the moment I started writing raps, I was always aware of the pressure. I always wanted to live up to how huge Snoop got, how huge Dre got, how huge Pac got. I was always aware.
50. My moms always told me, ‘How long you gonna play the victim?’ I can say I’m mad and I hate everything, but nothing really changes until I change myself.
51. Tough times don’t last but tough people do.
52. I’d rather not live like there isn’t a god, then die and find out there really is. Think about it.
53. Build your own pyramids, write your own hieroglyphs.
54. But what love got to do with it when you don’t love yourself?
55. You can’t have people listen to you unless you come to their world and then bring them to yours.
56. Maybe because I’m a dreamer and sleep is the cousin of death.
57. Look inside my soul and you can find gold maybe get rich. Look inside of your should and you can find out it never exists.
58. Take advantage. Do your best, don’t stress. You was granted everything inside this planet, anything you imagine, you possess.
59. The best way to describe myself would be…unpredictable.
60. Everyday I try to escape the realities of this world.
61. Although the butterfly and the caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same.
62. Being able to tell one from start to finish, and making that puzzle come together at the end. That’s the art for me.
63. It’s easy to forget who you are.
64. We all get distracted, the question is, would you bounce back or bounce backwards?
65. Since day one, since they first time I touched the pen, I wanted to be the best at what I do.
66. The sky can fall down, the wind can cry now. The strong in me, I still smile.