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"43 Jay Z Quotes & Sayings

      American     /     View profile
Born: 4 December 1969 | Rapper | Musician | Record producer |

I’m a mirror. If you’re cool with me, I’m cool with you, and the exchange starts. What you see is what you reflect. If you don’t like what you see, then you’ve done something. If I’m standoffish, that’s because you are.

Mirror Exchange starts You see Done something
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I’m hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to learn every day, to get brighter and brighter. That’s what this world is about.

Hungry For knowledge Learn Brighter
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As kids we didn’t complain about being poor; we talked about how rich we were going to be and made moves to get the lifestyle we aspired to by any means we could. And as soon as we had a little money, we were eager to show it.

As kids Complain Being poor How rich
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That’s why this generation is the least racist generation ever. You see it all the time. Go to any club. People are intermingling, hanging out, having fun, enjoying the same music. Hip-hop is not just in the Bronx anymore. It’s worldwide. Everywhere you go, people are listening to hip-hop and partying together. Hip-hop has done that.

This generation Least racist Time Club
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You make your first album, you make some money, and you feel like you still have to show face, like ‘I still go to the projects.’ I’m like, why? Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out. You grew up there. What makes you think it’s so cool?

You make Some money Show face Inspire people
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I collect art, and I drink wine… things that I like that I had never been exposed to. But I never said, ‘I’m going to buy art to impress this crowd.’ That’s just ridiculous to me. I don’t live my life like that, because how could you be happy with yourself?

Collect art I drink wine Exposed
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I’m far from being god, but I work god damn hard.

Being god Work Hard
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I think relationships are broken up because of the media.

Think relationships Broken up Media
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Successful people have a bigger fear of failure than people who’ve never done anything because if you haven’t been successful, then you don’t know how it feels to lose it all.

Successful people Bigger fear Failure
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One of the reasons inequality gets so deep in this country is that everyone wants to be rich. That’s the American ideal. Poor people don’t like talking about poverty because even though they might live in the projects surrounded by other poor people and have, like, ten dollars in the bank, they don’t like to think of themselves as poor.

Reasons Inequality Country Everyone
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I’ve never looked at myself and said that I need to be a certain way to be around a certain sort of people. I’ve always wanted to stay true to myself, and I’ve managed to do that. People have to accept that.

Myself Certain way People Stay true
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My brands are an extension of me. They’re close to me. It’s not like running GM, where there’s no emotional attachment.

My brands Extension Emotional attachment
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My thing is related to who I am as a person. The clothes are an extension of me. The music is an extension of me. All my businesses are part of the culture, so I have to stay true to whatever I’m feeling at the time, whatever direction I’m heading in. And hopefully, everyone follows.

Related to Person Clothes Extension
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Racism is taught in the home. We agree on that? Well, it’s very hard to teach racism to a teenager who’s listening to rap music and who idolizes, say, Snoop Dogg. It’s hard to say, ‘That guy is less than you.’ The kid is like, ‘I like that guy, he’s cool. How is he less than me?

Racism Taught Home Teenager
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Hip-hop is more about attaining wealth. People respect success. They respect big. They don’t even have to like your music. If you’re big enough, people are drawn to you.

Attaining wealth People Success Music
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Hip-hop has done so much for racial relations, and I don’t think it’s given the proper credit. It has changed America immensely. I’m going to make a very bold statement: Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations.

Racial relations Think Proper credit
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When you’re growing up, your dad is your superhero. Once you’ve let yourself fall that in love with someone, once you put him on such a high pedestal and he lets you down, you never want to experience that pain again.

Growing up Your superhero In love
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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.

First album Need pen My memory
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Everyone who makes music is a good collaborator at their foundation because in order to make music, you have to connect to it in a way that other people can’t.
Make music Good collaborator Foundation
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You can want success all you want. But to get it, you can’t falter. You can’t slip, you can’t sleep, one eye open, for real, and forever.
Want success Slip Sleep Forever
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People respect success. They respect big. They don’t even have to like your music. If you’re big enough, people are drawn to you.

Respect success Music People
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All I got is dreams. Nobody else believes. Nobody else can see. Nobody else but me.

Dreams Nobody else Believe
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Don’t tell me what was said about me… Tell me why they were so comfortable to say it to you

Tell me Said About me Comfortable
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Everything evens up, you just wait. Even a garage can gets a steak. You are not even a garbage can, you have faith!
Everything Even up Steak Garage
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You learn more in failure than you ever do in success.

Learn more Failure Success
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We hustle out of a sense of hopelessness. Sort of a desperation. Through that desperation, we become addicted. But we feel we have nothing to list. So we offer you, well, we offer our lives. What do you bring to the table

Hustle Sense Hopelessness Desperation
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I’m not afraid of dying. I’m afraid of not trying.
Afraid Dying Not trying
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I will not lose, for even in defeat, there’s a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me.

Lose Defeat Valuable lesson
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A wise man told me don’t argue with fools. Because people from a distance can’t tell who is who.

Wise man Argue Fool People
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Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

More concerned Character Reputation Really are
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They talk. We live. Who cares what they say?

They talk We live Cares
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Identity is a prison you can never escape, but the way to redeem your past is not to run from it, but to try to understand it, and use it as a foundation to grow.

Identity Prison Never escape Redeem
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Those who are successful overcome their fears and take action. Those who aren’t submit to their fears and live with regrets.

Successful Take action Fear Live
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I’d rather die enormous than live dormant.

Rather die Enormous Live dormant
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I believe excellence is being able to perform at a high level over and over.

I believe Excellence Perform High level
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I’m like a dog, I never speak, but I understand.
Like Dog Never speak Understand
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I’m a hustler baby; I sell water to a well.

Hustler baby Sell water Well
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If people don’t hate you, you’re probably not doing very big things

People Hate you Doing Big things
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I believe everybody in the world is born with genius-level talent. Apply yourself to whatever you’re genius at and you can do anything in the world.

Everybody World Genius Level talent
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I went through hell, I’m expecting heaven.
Went through Hell Heaven
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Leave a mark they can’t erase, neither space nor time.

Leave Mark Erase Time
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Belief in oneself and knowing who you are, I mean, that’s the foundation for everything great.

Belief Oneself You are Foundation
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Jealousy is a weak emotion.
Jealousy Weak Emotion
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Jay Z Quotes & Sayings