Born and raised in Compton CA, Kendrick comes from a neighborhood where rap legends such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, and Ice Cube started. After growing an online following, Kendrick launched his first major album in 2012 launching himself into mainstream music and the public eye. From there, his career has exploded leading to several Grammy wins and huge critical claim. However, he maintains a humble attitude focusing on mastering his craft & becoming a better person.

Here are some of Kendrick Lamar’s best quotes:

1. “Forgiving is easy. Trusting again, not so much.” – Kendrick Lamar

2. “When you give up it means you never wanted it.” – Kendrick Lamar

3. “Don’t you know your imperfections is a wonderful blessing.” – Kendrick Lamar

4. “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.” – Kendrick Lamar

5. “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.” – Kendrick Lamar

6. “Love is not just a verb. It’s you looking in the mirror.” – Kendrick Lamar

7. “Sometimes you just need to distance yourself from people. If they care, they’ll notice. If they don’t, you know where they stand.” – Kendrick Lamar

8. “Maybe because I’m a dreamer and sleep is the cousin of death.” – Kendrick Lamar

9. “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.” – Kendrick Lamar

10. “You can’t have people listen to you unless you come to their world and then bring them to yours.” – Kendrick Lamar

11. “I can’t change the world until I change myself first.” – Kendrick Lamar

12. “Live your life, live it right. Be different, do different things.” – Kendrick Lamar

13. “I ain’t a drinker I’m a thinker, call it what you want.” – Kendrick Lamar

14. “People gonna be they own individuals and have they own worlds and I can’t knock it.” – Kendrick Lamar

15. “I’m tryna learn something new. I’m tryna surround myself with people that inspire me or at least inquire similar desires.” – Kendrick Lamar

16. “Eventually you get to this point where you understand what you want to do.” – Kendrick Lamar

17. “Don’t say one thing then do another.” – Kendrick Lamar

18. “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.” – Kendrick Lamar

19. “The best thing is to always keep honest people around, because when you have a bunch of yes men around that know you’re making a mistake but let it go on with it, that’s when it ruins your mind state as an artist.” – Kendrick Lamar

20. “Life will put many red lights in front of you, but sometimes we must push on the gas and trust god.” – Kendrick Lamar

21. “I was a black sheep, but now I’m just a goat.” – Kendrick Lamar

22. “We all get distracted, the question is, would you bounce back or bounce backwards?” – Kendrick Lamar

23. “Since day one, since they first time I touched the pen, I wanted to be the best at what I do.” – Kendrick Lamar

24. “Although the butterfly and the caterpillar are completely different, they are one and the same.” – Kendrick Lamar

25. “The best way to describe myself would be…unpredictable.” – Kendrick Lamar

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26. “So the next time you feel like the world’s about to end, I hope you studied, because he’s testing your faith again.” – Kendrick Lamar

27. “We’re all human at the end of the day, making mistakes. But learning from them is key.” – Kendrick Lamar

28. “If I speak the good into existence, that instant my dreams will unlock, money flow like water, I’ll just wait at the dock.” – Kendrick Lamar

29. “I’d rather not live like there isn’t a god, then die and find out there really is. Think about it.” – Kendrick Lamar

30. “Ya’ll don’t want me to win. I’m tryna follow dreams, you want me to follow trends.” – Kendrick Lamar

31. “Everyday I try to escape the realities of this world.” – Kendrick Lamar

32. “Tough times don’t last but tough people do.” – Kendrick Lamar

33. “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.” – Kendrick Lamar

34. “I learned, when I look in the mirror and tell my story, that I should be myself and not peep whatever everybody is doing.” – Kendrick Lamar

35. “I had to come from something, come from a place that was negative and positive but the majority of it is a negative place.” – Kendrick Lamar

36. “I don’t want to be something that just comes and goes.” – Kendrick Lamar

37. “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.” – Kendrick Lamar

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.” – Kendrick Lamar

39. “Consequences from evil will make your past haunt you.” – Kendrick Lamar

40. “I’m only as good as my last word, my last hook, my last bridge.” – Kendrick Lamar

41. “My whole thing is to inspire, to better people, to better myself forever in this thing that we call rap, this thing we call hip-hop.” – Kendrick Lamar

42. “Talk about it. Make em talk about it. Life to me is currency, prosperity I got it.” – Kendrick Lamar

43. “The worst part of success is, to me, adapting to it. It’s scary.” – Kendrick Lamar

44. “It’s easy to forget who you are.” – Kendrick Lamar

45. “Take advantage. Do your best, don’t stress. You was granted everything inside this planet, anything you imagine, you possess.” – Kendrick Lamar

46. “Being able to tell one from start to finish, and making that puzzle come together at the end. That’s the art for me.” – Kendrick Lamar

47. “I walk alone with a cross and a diamond stone. I’m a diamond inside the rough, that’s too mighty for maricons.” – Kendrick Lamar

48. “It’s a great, great experience to finally get the reception that you know you rightfully deserve” – Kendrick Lamar

49. “The opposite of love? Vice. Temptation. The negative influences that we have. The bad energy that comes around us and makes us do certain things. To me, it’s always a war between the two.” – Kendrick Lamar

50. “But what love go to do with it when you don’t love yourself?” – Kendrick Lamar

51. “Build your own pyramids, write your own hieroglyphs.” – Kendrick Lamar

52. “Don’t wait until it’s too late, you might not get another chance.” – Kendrick Lamar

Which quote inspired you the most? Comment below!