If you’re looking for the best collection of Nas quotes and lyrics then look no further.
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, known professionally as Nas, is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur and investor.
His musical career began in 1991 and his debut album Illmatic (1994) received universal acclaim from both critics and the hip-hop community and is frequently ranked as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.
In fact, Nas has released eight consecutive platinum and multi-platinum albums and has sold over 30 million records worldwide. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest rappers of all time for his incredible lyrics and was featured on “The 10 Best Rappers of All Time” list by Billboard.
He is also an entrepreneur through his own record label; he serves as associate publisher of Mass Appeal magazine and the co-founder of Mass Appeal Records. What you probably didn’t know about Nas is that he is also a prolific investor with numerous investments in startups and companies such as Dropbox, Lyft and Robinhood.
Below you’ll find the best Nas quotes and lyrics on life, love, music & success.
Inspirational Nas Quotes & Lyrics
1. “Some seek fame cause they need validation
Some say hating is confused admiration.” – Nas
2. “People fear what they don’t understand, hate what they can’t conquer
Guess it’s just the theory of man.” – Nas
3. “Turnin nothin into somethin, is God work
And you get nothin without struggle and hard work
War is necessary to my peoples in chains
From Greene to Sing-Sing, I’m wantin y’all to know one thing
The hardest thing is to forgive, but God does
Even if you murdered or robbed, yeah it’s wrong, but God loves
Take one step toward him, he takes two toward you
Even when all else fail, God supports you” – Nas
4. “You have to Keep your vision clear, cause only a coward lives in fear.” – Nas
5. “No idea’s original, there’s nothin new under the sun
It’s never what you do, but how it’s done
What you base your happiness around material, women, and large paper
That means you inferior, not major.” – Nas
6. “If you scared to take chances, you’ll never have the answers
I could tell the future of a dude by how his stance is.” – Nas
7. “The craziest things already happened to me, so either you’ll be laughing at me or you’re laughing with me, ha.” – Nas
8. “Failure is not an option, and I always felt like I’m a man who doesn’t have regrets, and I don’t live with excuses. I can’t take excuses.” – Nas
9. “Everything will eventually come to an end
So try to savor the moment, cuz time flies don’t it
The beauty of life, you gotta make it last for the better
Cuz nothin’ lasts forever.” – Nas
10. “I’m capable of anything; my imagination can give me wings.” – Nas
11. “Look way deep inside yourself
Discover the diamond inside, find ya wealth
Once you get it, you gotta live it the limit.” – Nas
12. “Born alone, die alone, no crew to keep my crown or throne.” – Nas
13. “Do your body right and it loves you back
You only get one life, and yo because of that
I’m still blazin, goin out for the cause.” – Nas
14. “If you’re given an opportunity and you’re lucky enough to have freedom to do what you want to do in your career, why trap yourself, why do something that’s not you.” – Nas
15. “Mistakes make masterful teachers.” – Nas
16. “Don’t ever give up on yourself. Keep pushing because the change of guards is what life’s all about. You’ve always got to stick with whatever you’re into because your day is going to come. Your day is destined. If you walk away from that, whether it be from fear or whether you’re just giving up. The greatest sin is fear and giving up.” – Nas (This is one of my favorite Nas quotes, what’s yours?)
17. “There was nothing more important to me than having a voice. I wanted to make a big impact on this art form; I wanted to kick everybody out. I wanted to open up a doorway for another generation.” – Nas
18. “No one’s promised anything. You could have the biggest record on radio and sell no records.” – Nas
19. “Every time I get in the studio, I feel like I wanna have some fun. My fun is not doing the easy work. My fun is doing what’s me.” – Nas
20. “You’re supposed to be who you are. You’re supposed to make music that is true to you.” – Nas
21. “Working with great people makes you great; you learn a lot and it also gives you the experience and confidence to move on with your own career.” – Nas
22. “I think a lot of us know when it’s our time. No matter what profession you’re in, you get a feeling. If you worked on it long enough, you know when it’s ready.” – Nas
23. “No temporary chaos is worth your sanity. Just knowing that whatever happens, it happens to the best of them, too.” – Nas
24. “I don’t have any regrets. The things that I have said when I was young and curious about whatever the subject matter was, I respect those – those are growing pains. Even if you make mistakes, I go back to those things, my not-so-great moments because those are my truest moments; those are my human moments. I’m not even mad at the things I said that were a little dicey.” – Nas
25. “Reading is everything, and although you already know some things, you need to read to get those things out of you.” – Nas
26. “They say money rule the world, you can’t pay God with it.” – Nas
27. “I’m never gonna die, never heard of death, energy can never be destroyed only the flesh.” – Nas
28. “Always observe, watch, and talk to older people.” – Nas
29. “I’m inspired by people like Nelson Mandela. Can you imagine — you know how racist America was back then — imagine how racism was in South Africa when he had to stand up and say what he had to say. That’s bravery beyond comprehension. Then to survive in prison and to come home and be so resilient, he’s a role model in many ways. His eyes tell a story of glory.” – Nas
30. “I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death.” – Nas
31. “My success symbolizes loyalty, great friends
Dedication, hard work, routine builds character
In a world full of snakes, rats and scavengers.” – Nas
32. “Every great person educates themselves.” – Nas
33. “I wish the music business was a much easier thing, but you know what? Nothing easy is worth anything.” – Nas
34. “Your look reflects whats happening in your mind.” – Nas
35. “Speak what I want, I don’t care what y’all feel. ‘Cause I’m my own master, my Pop told me be your own boss. Keep integrity at every cost.” – Nas
36. “No matter where you’re from – you can be Native American, Italian, Jewish, Latino, African-American – whatever you are, we’re all distant relatives.” – Nas
37. “Don’t speak to fools, they scorn the wisdom of your words.” – Nas
38. “For my hustlers, here’s some motivation: He who has begun is half done.” – Nas
39. “Beyond the walls of intelligence, life is defined.” – Nas
40. “My advice for the younger dudes would push you all the way, don’t obsess over what anybody else is doing.” – Nas
41. “Trust your own judgment, live with it and love it.” – Nas
42. “Some people say I’m conscious, some say I’m a gangsta rapper – it’s just me doing me. I’m stomping in my own lane. I’m doing what I do.” – Nas
43. “With age comes common sense and wisdom.” – Nas
44. “Once you make it to your point of making it, you’ll appreciate the struggle.” – Nas
45. “The further I get, the further I want to go.” – Nas
46. “You only have one first chance to make one first impression that lasts a lifetime.” – Nas
47. “It’s foul what this money could do, cash corrupts the loyal.” – Nas
48. “I know you think my life is good ’cause my diamond piece, but my life been good since I started finding peace.” – Nas
49. “Who’s world is this, the world is yours.” – Nas
50. “How can you lose when you’re doing you?” – Nas
51. “Much success to you, even if you wish me the opposite.” – Nas
52. “Whats up with your motto? Will you lead? Will you follow?” – Nas
53. “Use your own intuition. You are tomorrow.” – Nas
54. “People afraid of criticism but I always put myself in a sacrificial position, they been know I ain’t just rappin for fame.” – Nas
55. “My weapon of choice is my voice.” – Nas
56. “A lot of times it seems like, you ain’t gon’ make it where you wanna be in life. But, yo if you got a plan, believe me you gon’ get there. You gon’ get everything you ever wanted.” – Nas
57. “I learn from failures.” – Nas
58. “I can’t control what people think. They know who I am.” – Nas
59. “I know I can, be what I wanna be, if I work hard at it, I’ll be where I wanna be.” – Nas
60. “Some people work hard to be something that they’re not, and I don’t work at all, I’m just me. And that can bother anybody I’m not working nearly as hard as the other guys, and they don’t like it.” – Nas
61. “Turnin’ nothin’ into somethin’ is God work, and you get nothin’ without struggle and hard work.” – Nas
62. “You lose money chasing women, never lose women chasing money…” – Nas
63. “Just sitting in silence is one of the best things a man can do.” – Nas
64. “I’ve learned not to be surprised by what people do no more.” – Nas
65. “You are who you associate with. Look around at your five closest friends and that’s who you are. If you don’t want to be that person, you know what you gotta do.” – Nas
66. “The greatest sin is fear and giving up.” – Nas
67. “The whole thing is, do as much as you can, when you possibly can, and don’t stress.” – Nas
68. “Respect all, fear none, my pride is everything.” – Nas
69. “You can’t please everybody. You’d be crazy if you’re trying to. So take some time out to do some things for yourself.” – Nas
70. “‘Never stop. Never settle.’ I believe in this message.” – Nas
71. “I promise you, if you have a plan, you can accomplish everything you ever wanted.” – Nas
72. “Rule No. 1 is you can’t be fake. If you’re fake, you become a gimmick and you’re selling a gimmick; a little gimmick is cool, this is entertainment. But when you base your stuff on mostly real stuff, you never run out of it because every day is a different adventure.” – Nas
73. “Life is short is what some niggaz said; not if you measure life – by how one lives and what he did.” – Nas
74. “It hurts to see anybody in pain, if you’ve got any kind of heart.” – Nas
75. “If you really believe in yourself and your music that much, you’re gonna do your thing, regardless what people say.” – Nas
76. “I’m sure we’re gonna meet some bumps in the road, but if it’s meant to be it will happen.” – Nas
77. “Read more, learn more, change the globe.” – Nas
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