If you’re looking for the best collection of inspirational Tupac Shakur quotes and lyrics then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled 95 of the greatest 2Pac quotes that highlight his incredibly deep mindset and wisdom on life, love and success.
Tupac Shakur, professionally known as 2Pac was one of the most significant rappers of all time. But he was also a complete artist – he could act, he wrote poetry and he had serious dance moves.
After releasing his debut album, 2Pacalypse Now, in 1991, Tupac had already become a central figure in West Coast hip hop. His lyrics told powerful stories around racism, violence and other social issues.
He was also the man who redefined “thug life”. Tupac was involved in many conflicts but also showed responsibility, wisdom and thoughtfulness at the same time.
As tensions between East Coast and West Coast hip hop grew, Tupac became heavily involved in a vocal way. On September 7, 1996, Shakur was shot four times by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas; he died six days later at the age of 25. The Notorious B.I.G., Shakur’s friend turned rival, was at first considered a suspect, but was also murdered in another drive-by shooting several months later.
Tupac evolved to become the voice of his generation and is one of the best-selling music artists of all time having sold over 75 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone named 2Pac in its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Below you’ll find the best Tupac quotes and lyrics of all time.
Famous Tupac Shakur Quotes On Life, Success & Dreams
1. “Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.” – Tupac Shakur
2. “During your life, never stop dreaming. No one can take away your dreams.” – Tupac Shakur
3. “Our future is our confidence and self-esteem.” – Tupac Shakur
4. “Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.” – Tupac Shakur
5. “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside while still alive. Never surrender.” – Tupac Shakur
6. “People die but legends live forever.” – Tupac Shakur
7. “My mama always used to tell me: ‘If you can’t find somethin’ to live for, you best find somethin’ to die for.'” – Tupac Shakur
8. “Don’t leave this world without giving it your all.” – Tupac Shakur
9. “This fast life soon shatters, cause after all the lights and screams, nothing but my dreams matter.” – Tupac Shakur
10. “Tomorrow I wake with second wind and strong because of pride. I know I fought with all my heart to keep the dream alive.” – Tupac Shakur
11. “Never surrender, it’s all about the faith you got; don’t ever stop, just push it ‘till you hit the top and if you drop, at least you know you gave your all to be true to you, that way you can never fail.” – Tupac Shakur
2Pac Quotes About Life, Success & Money
12. “In my mind, I’ll be thinking is this true, will I fail? Am I supposed to fail? Should I just stop trying and give up? But then, that’s exactly what they’re waiting for me to do.” – Tupac Shakur
13. “One thing we all adore, something worth dying for, nothing but pain, stuck in this game, searchin’ for fortune and fame.” – Tupac Shakur
14. “I would rather be stricken blind, than to live without expression of mind.” – Tupac Shakur
15. “That which does not kill me can only make me stronger. I don’t see why everybody feel as though that they gotta tell me how to live my life.” – Tupac Shakur
16. “Behind every sweet smile, there is a bitter sadness that no one can see and feel.” – Tupac Shakur
17. “When I was a little baby, I remember that one moment of calm-peace, and 3 minutes after that, it was on.” – Tupac Shakur
18. “I believe that everything that you do bad comes back to you. So everything that I do that’s bad, I’m going to suffer from it. But in my mind, I believe what I’m doing is right. So I feel like I’m going to heaven.” – Tupac Shakur
19. “I don’t want to be a role model. I just want to be someone who says, this is who I am, this is what I do, I say what’s on my mind.” – Tupac Shakur
20. “I feel like role models today are not meant to be put on a pedestal. But more like angels with broken wings.” – Tupac Shakur
21. “There’s no way that Michael Jackson or whoever Jackson should have a million thousand droople billion dollars and then there are people starving. There’s no way! There’s no way that these people should own planes and their people don’t have houses. Apartments. Shacks. Drawers. Pants! I know you’re rich. I know you got 40 billion dollars, but can you just keep it to one house? You only need one house. And if you only got two kids, can you just keep it to two rooms? I mean why have 52 rooms and you know there’s somebody with no room?! It just doesn’t make sense to me. It don’t.” – Tupac Shakur
22. “I’m not perfect. But I’ll always be real.” – Tupac Shakur
23. “Even though you’re fed up, you gotta keep your head up.” – Tupac Shakur
24. “We wouldn’t ask why a rose that grew from the concrete for having damaged petals, in turn, we would all celebrate its tenacity, we would all love its will to reach the sun, well, we are the roses, this is the concrete and these are my damaged petals, don’t ask me why thank god, and ask me how.” – Tupac Shakur
25. “It’s the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they’re gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it’s my turn to leave.” – Tupac Shakur
26. “I don’t see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them to have answers.” – Tupac Shakur
27. “Be grateful for blessings.” – Tupac Shakur
28. “Recollect your thoughts, don’t get caught up in the mix.” – Tupac Shakur
29. “Always do your best, don’t let the pressure make you panic.” – Tupac Shakur
30. “Out of anger comes controversy, out of controversy comes conversation, out of conversation comes action.” – Tupac Shakur
31. “Life is a wheel of fortune and it’s my turn to spin it.” – Tupac Shakur
32. “A coward dies a thousand times, a soldier dies but once.” – Tupac Shakur
33. “They have money for war but can’t feed the poor.” – Tupac Shakur
34. “It don’t stop ’til the casket drop.” – Tupac Shakur
35. “Imperfection is inherited, therefore we all sin, but fighting the war of sin is the greatest war of all because we all die in the end, no matter how hard we fight.” – Tupac Shakur
36. “Don’t believe everything you hear: Real eyes, realize, real lies.” – Tupac Shakur
37. “What people do for the struggle of power is madness.” – Tupac Shakur
38. “I don’t want it if it’s that easy.” – Tupac Shakur
39. “I think I’m a natural-born leader. I know how to bow down to authority if it’s authority that I respect.” – Tupac Shakur
40. “No matter what these people say about me, my music doesn’t glorify any image. My music is spiritual when you listen to it. It’s all about emotion, I tell my innermost, darkest secrets.” – Tupac Shakur
41. “I’d rather die like a man, than live like a coward.” – Tupac Shakur
42. “Only God can judge me.”- Tupac Shakur
43. “I’ve been shot five times but I’m still breathing, living proof there a God if you need a reason.” – Tupac Shakur
44. “Even the genius ask questions.” – Tupac Shakur
45. “You’re right. I am crazy. But you know what else? I don’t give a fuck.” – Tupac Shakur
Tupac Quotes About Love
46. “You can never ‘just be friends’ with someone you fall in love with.” – Tupac Shakur
47. “Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.” – Tupac Shakur
48. “Forgive but don’t forget, girl keep your head up. And when he tells you you ain’t nothing, don’t believe him. And if he can’t learn to love you, you should leave him.” – Tupac Shakur
49. “I am not a perfectionist, but still I seek perfection. I am not a great romantic, but yet I yearn for affection.” – Tupac Shakur
50. “Time to heal our women, be real to our women.” – Tupac Shakur
51. “It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other.” – Tupac Shakur
52. “A woman brought you into this world, so you have no right to disrespect one.” – Tupac Shakur
53. “I know you’re fed up, ladies, but keep ya head up.” – Tupac Shakur
54. “Fear is stronger than love, remember that. Fear is stronger than love. All that love I gave didn’t mean nothing when it came to fear.” – Tupac Shakur
55. “I’m not saying girls are perfect cause we all know that’s not true. But why be unfaithful to her if she was true to you?” – Tupac Shakur
56. “I am a hard person to love but when I love, I love really hard.” – Tupac Shakur
57. “No one knows my struggle, they only see the trouble. Not knowing how hard it is to carry on when no one loves you.” – Tupac Shakur
58. “There’s no way I can pay you back, but the plan
Is to show you that I understand: you are appreciated.” – Tupac Shakur
59. “Everybody’s at war with different things. I’m at war with my own heart sometimes.” – Tupac Shakur
60. “Ain’t a woman alive that could take my mama’s place.” – Tupac Shakur
61. “Unconditional love. Talking bout the stuff that don’t wear off, it don’t fade. It’ll last for all these crazy days, these crazy nights. Whether you wrong or you right, I’ma still love you, still feel you, still there for you. No matter what, you will always be in my heart with unconditional love.” – Tupac Shakur
Tupac Quotes From His Songs & Poems
62. “Why am I fighting to live,
If I am just living to fight
Why am I trying to see.
When there aint nothing in sight
Why am I trying to give,
When no one gives me a try
Why am I dying to live,
If I am just living to die?” – Tupac Shakur
63. “Sometimes when I’m alone I cry,
Cause I am on my own.
The tears I cry are bitter and warm.
They flow with life but take no form
I cry because my heart is torn.
I find it difficult to carry on.
If I had an ear to confide in,
I would cry among my treasured friend,
but who do you know that stops that long,
to help another carry on.
The world moves fast and it would rather pass by.
Then to stop and see what makes one cry,
so painful and sad.
And sometimes…
I cry and no one cares about why.” – Tupac Shakur
64. “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature’s laws wrong
It learned to walk without having feet
Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams
It learned to breathe fresh air
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
When no one else, even cared.” – Tupac Shakur
65. “They punish the people that’s askin’ questions
And those that possess steal from the ones without possessions
The message I stress: to make it stop, study your lessons
Don’t settle for less, even the genius asks his questions.” – Tupac Shakur
66. “Where there is a will there is a will to search and discover a better day
Where a positive heart is all you need to rise beyond and succeed
Where young minds grow and respect each other based on their deeds
and not their color when times are dim say as I say “Where there’s a will
there’s a way!” – Tupac Shakur
2Pac Quotes On Thug Life
67. “Of course I’m going to say “I’m a thug,” that’s because I came from the gutter and I’m still here!” – Tupac Shakur
68. “Do everything you can to make it around the system, over the system, or out the system.” – Tupac Shakur
69. “Just cause you live in the ghetto doesn’t mean you can’t grow.” – Tupac Shakur
70. “The only time I have problems is when I sleep.” – Tupac Shakur
71. “The seed must grow regardless of the fact that it’s planted in stone.” – Tupac Shakur
72. “Don’t live to fight, fight to live.” – Tupac Shakur
73. “I know what good morals are, but you’re supposed to disregard good morals when you’re living in a crazy, bad world. If you’re in hell, how can you live like an angel? You’re surrounded by devils, trying to be an angel? That’s like suicide.” – Tupac Shakur
Tupac Quotes About Moving On
74. “You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could’ve, would’ve happened… or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on.” – Tupac Shakur
75. “If you can make it through the night, there’s a brighter day.” – Tupac Shakur
76. “You know nothing can stop me but loss of breath and I’m still breathing so it’s still on.” – Tupac Shakur
77. “I know it seems hard sometimes but remember one thing. Through every dark night, there’s a bright day after that. So no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out, keep ya head up and handle it.” – Tupac Shakur
78. “There’s gonna be some stuff you gonna see that’s gonna make it hard to smile in the future, but through whatever you see, through all the rain and the pain you gotta keep your sense of humor. You gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit…remember that.” – Tupac Shakur
79. “I set goals, take control, drink out my own bottle. I make mistakes but learn from everyone. And when it’s said and done. I bet this brother be a better one. If I upset you don’t stress. Never forget, that God isn’t finished with me yet.” – Tupac Shakur
80. “Everything will be alright if you hold on
It’s a struggle every day, gotta roll on.” – Tupac Shakur
81. “Look to my future, ‘cause my past is all behind me.” – Tupac Shakur
82. “Whatever you see you gotta keep a sense of humor; you gotta be able to smile through all the bullshit.” – Tupac Shakur
83. “For every dark night, there’s a brighter day.” – Tupac Shakur
84. “The world moves fast and it would rather pass by than to stop and see what makes you cry.” – Tupac Shakur
Tupac Quotes On Friends & Enemies
85. “The realest people don’t have a lot of friends.” – Tupac Shakur
86. “You gotta learn to hold your own.” – Tupac Shakur
87. “If you let a person talk long enough you’ll hear their true intentions! Listen twice, speak once.” – Tupac Shakur
88. “Learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers.” – Tupac Shakur
89. “Watch for phonies, keep your enemies close, watch your homies.” – Tupac Shakur
90. “Pay no mind to those who talk behind your back, it simply means that you are two steps ahead.” – Tupac Shakur
2Pac Quotes On Changes
91. “You gotta make a change. Its time for us as a people to start making some changes, let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live, and let’s change the way we treat each other. You see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us, to do what we gotta do to survive.” – Tupac Shakur
92. “We can never go nowhere unless we share with each other.” – Tupac Shakur
93. “I want to grow. I want to be better. You Grow. We all grow. We’re made to grow. You either evolve or you disappear.” – Tupac Shakur
94. “Though things change, the future’s still inside of me.” – Tupac Shakur
95. “I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” – Tupac Shakur
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