Tupac Shakur Quotes

My inspiration for writing music is like Don McLean did when he did "American Pie" or "Vincent". Lorraine Hansberry with "A Raisin in the Sun". Like Shakespeare when he does his thing, like deep stories, raw human needs.

I'm trying to think of a good analogy. It's like, you've got the Vietnam War, and because you had reporters showing us pictures of the war at home, that's what made the war end, or that shit would have lasted longer. If no one knew what was going on we would have thought they were just dying valiantly in some beautiful way. But because we saw the horror, that's what made us stop the war.

So I thought, that's what I'm going to do as an artist, as a rapper. I'm gonna show the most graphic details of what I see in my community and hopefully they'll stop it quick.

I've seen all of that-- the crack babies, what we had to go through, losing everything, being poor, and getting beat down. All of that. Being the person I am, I said no no no no. I'm changing this. ~ Tupac Shakur

Picture perfect, I paint a perfect picture bomb the hoochies wit' precision, my intentions to get richer. ~ Tupac Shakur

If I could patent 'being real', I think I could own that. ~ Tupac Shakur

Give me a paper and pen, so I can write about my life of sin. A couple of bottles of gin, in case I don't get in. ~ Tupac Shakur

I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THIS SOCIETY! First they try to murder me then they lie to me! ~ Tupac Shakur

Today is built on tragedies, which no one wants to face, nightmares to humanities and morally disgraced. Tonight is filled with rage, violence in the air, children bred with ruthlessness because no one at home cares. ~ Tupac Shakur

I don't understand how people can
stand next to you one year,and next year, they cannot. They're going crazy, screaming. They can't take it that you're there. But last year I was in the same club,walking around,lonely like a motherfucker. Couldn't get a date or a dance. I was too skinny, too something,
and now, He's just adorable. He's just, oh! ~ Tupac Shakur

You get time to appreciate things. Perspective, you start looking at things differently ... ~ Tupac Shakur

How can I be a man if there is no role model? ~ Tupac Shakur

Gotta start teaching the children that they can be just what they want to be, there's much more to life than poverty. ~ Tupac Shakur

It takes skill to be real. Time to heal each other ~ Tupac Shakur

And still, the best of us build, and reach monetary gains. Some of us kill, but still, most of us can change. ~ Tupac Shakur

Now ain nobody tell us it would be fair no love for my father cause the coward wasn't their" {Tu Pac Shukur} ~ Tupac Shakur

I remember crying all the time. My major thing growing up was I couldn't fit in. Because I was from everywhere, I didn't have no buddies that I grew up with ... Every time I had to go to a new apartment, I had to reinvent myself, myself. People think just because you born in the ghetto you gonna fit in. A little twist in your life and you don't fit in no matter what. If they push you out of the hood and the White people's world, that's criminal ... Hell, I felt like my could be destroyed at any moment. ~ Tupac Shakur

Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn't make it. ~ Tupac Shakur

A woman bought you into this world, so you have no right to disrespect one. ~ Tupac Shakur

We probaly in hell already, our dumb asses not knowin, everybody kissin ass to go to heaven aint goin. ~ Tupac Shakur

I remember Marvin Gaye used to sing to me,
He had me feelin' like black was the thing to be. ~ Tupac Shakur

I don't bang for the color or the land. I bang for the principles and for the honor. I'm bangin' for the Westside- this is in my heart, this is how I feel. ~ Tupac Shakur

I'm the rebel totally going against the grain. I always want to do the extreme. I want to get as many people looking as possible. ~ Tupac Shakur

Time to heal our women, be real to our women. And if we don't, then we'll have a race of babies, that hate the ladies that make the babies. ~ Tupac Shakur

My music is not for everyone. It's only for the stong-willed, the [street] soldiers music. It's not like party music- I mean, you could gig to it, but it's spiritual. My musi is spiritual. It's like Negro spiituals, except for the fact that I'm not saying 'We shall Overcome.' I'm saying that we are overcome. ~ Tupac Shakur

If I had an ear 2 confide in
I would cry among my treasured friends
But who do u know that stops that long
to help another carry on
The world moves fast and it would rather pass u by
than 2 stop and c what makes u cry ~ Tupac Shakur

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

The
Harm
U
Gave

Little
Infants
Fucks
Everyone ~ Tupac Shakur

They ordered the extermination
of all minds they couldn't control ~ Tupac Shakur

Father Forgive Us For Livin'
Why All My Homies Stuck In Prison?
Barely Breathin' Believin That The World Is A Prison,
It's Like A Ghetto We Could Neva Leave…

A Broken Rose, Trying to Bloom Through The Cracks Of The Concrete,
So Many Otha Things For Us To See, Things To Be,
Our History so Full Of Tragedy And Misery,

To All My Homies Neva Made It Home,
The Dead Peers I Shed Tatooed Tears For
When I'm Alone,

Picture Us Inside A Ghetto Heaven, A Place To Rest,
Findin' Peace Through This Land Of Stress,

In My Chest I Feel Pain, Come In Sudden Storms,
Life Full Of Rain In This Game Watch For landstorms,

Our Unborn,
Neva Gotta Grow
Neva Gotta See What's Next,
In This World Full Of Countless Threats,

I Beg God To Make A Way
For Our Ghetto Kids To Breathe
Show A Sign
Make Us All Believe,
Coz I Ain't Mad At Cha ~ Tupac Shakur

During your life, never stop dreaming. No one can take away your dreams ~ Tupac Shakur

War comes and goes but a soldier stays eternal ~ Tupac Shakur

I'm tired of being a nice guy, I've been poor all my life, but don't know quite why. ~ Tupac Shakur

When I die and they come for me bury me a g. ~ Tupac Shakur

I'm not saying girls are perfect, because we all know that's not true. But why be unfaithful to her if she was true to you. ~ Tupac Shakur

I feel like our future is our confidence and self-esteem. ~ Tupac Shakur

My homie lost his family and snapped, shot up half the block to bring them back. ~ Tupac Shakur

When I say ' thug' I mean not a criminal, someone who beats you over the head, I mean the underdog. You could have two people- one person has everything he needs to succeed and one person has nothing. If the person who has nothing succeeds, he's a thug. Cuz he overcame all the obstacles. ~ Tupac Shakur

Life in the pen ain't for me 'cos I'd rather die. ~ Tupac Shakur

I'm not saying I'm going to rule the world, I'm going to change the world. But I guarantee I will spark the brain that will change the world. And that's our job. It's to spark somebody else watching us. We might not be the one, but let's not be selfish. And because we['re] not going to change the world, not talk about how we should change it. I don't know how to change it. But I know if I keep talking about how dirty it is out here, somebody's going to clean it up! ~ Tupac Shakur

If you fall stand tall and come back for more. ~ Tupac Shakur

Yo get a real job. Rappin doesn't pay the rent, I hate the studio cause that's where all my money went. ~ Tupac Shakur

Expose foes wit my hocus pocus flows, they froze now suckas idolize my chosen blows ~ Tupac Shakur

It makes me unhappy when brothers make babies and leave a young mother to be a pappy. ~ Tupac Shakur

I'm a sucker for love ~ Tupac Shakur

Can't close my eyes cause all I see is terror
I hate the man in the mirror
Cause his reflection makes the pain turn realer ~ Tupac Shakur

While I'm dreaming, Wake up screaming, Cuz I can hear them suckas scheming. ~ Tupac Shakur

When my Heart Can Beat No More I hope die for a principal or a belief that I have lived for ~ Tupac Shakur

Dear mama, yo baby boys doing fine tell the homies I'm in heaven and they aint got hoods. ~ Tupac Shakur

What of fame? Everybody knows your name: never again are you alone. ~ Tupac Shakur

I try to find my way in the world you know, I try to be somebody instead of just, make money off of everybody ~ Tupac Shakur

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

Well, the first two days in prison, I had to go through what life is like when you've been smoking weed for as long as I have and then you stop. Emotionally, it was like I didn't know myself. ~ Tupac Shakur

In a position to make a difference, politicians and hypocrites they don't wanna listen. ~ Tupac Shakur

The hard times make a true friend afraid to ask. ~ Tupac Shakur

Instead of war on poverty,
they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me. ~ Tupac Shakur

We don't really know who killed Martin Luther King. We don't really know who killed Bobby Kennedy. We don't really know who killed John Kennedy. We don't really know who killed Tupac Shakur. ~ Cynthia McKinney

I'm a thug. And my thug comes from ... my definition of thug comes from half of the street element. Straight street hustling. ~ Tupac Shakur

Misplaced hate makes disgrace the races. ~ Tupac Shakur

Long live the rose that grew from the concrete when no one else ever cared. ~ Tupac Shakur

I know death follows me, but I murder him first. ~ Tupac Shakur

Even thugs cry, but do the Lord care? ~ Tupac Shakur

Be an individual, work hard, study, get your mind straight, and trust nobody. ~ Tupac Shakur

I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other.. ~ Tupac Shakur

Only God can judge me. ~ Tupac Shakur

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

For every dark night there is a brighter day ~ Tupac Shakur

Even the genius ask questions. ~ Tupac Shakur

And I ... started off dumb, raised by the hoodrats, listen to the radio wishin that i could rap. ~ Tupac Shakur

God will judge my heart, Man will judge my actions. ~ Tupac Shakur

Can't sleep 'cause all the dirt make my heart hurt ~ Tupac Shakur

I believe in God. Whatever supposed to happen supposed to happen. But I can not live in a jail cell. That's why I don't rob people and stick up people. ~ Tupac Shakur

It don't stop 'til the casket drop. ~ Tupac Shakur

I'll probably be punished for hard living. ~ Tupac Shakur

You can't disrespect the love. You can't disrespect the peace treaty. ~ Tupac Shakur

Born through hard times, Ghetto child of mine. I wonder if you have to suffer for your father's crimes. ~ Tupac Shakur

Don't support the phonies, SUPPORT THE REAL ~ Tupac Shakur

With all this extra stressin
The question I wonder is after death, after my last breath
When will I finaly get to rest? Through this supression
they punish the people that's askin questions
And those that possess, steal from the ones without possesions
The message I stress: to make it stop study your lessons
Don't settle for less - even the genius asks-es questions
Be grateful for blessings
Don't ever change, keep your essence
The power is in the people and politics we address. ~ Tupac Shakur

In my mind I'm a blind man doin' time. ~ Tupac Shakur

The reason why I could get into acting was because it takes nothing to get out of who I am and go into somebody else. ~ Tupac Shakur

Out of anger comes controversy, out of controversy comes conversation, out of conversation comes action. ~ Tupac Shakur

Support me ... If you don't understand me don't write about me ~ Tupac Shakur

My only fear of death is reincarnation ~ Tupac Shakur

Maybe in time you'll understand only God can save us. ~ Tupac Shakur

I feel like Black Jesus got his hands on me and guides me through life to put me where I'm supposed to be. ~ Tupac Shakur

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

Through every dark night, there's a bright day after that. ~ Tupac Shakur

If you're not dark inside and you come to this world, it'l turn you dark ... and if you really have Sunshine inside you, it's not good to play in the dark. It's just gonna extinguish your fire. ~ Tupac Shakur

Take ones adversity
Learn from their misfortune
Learn from their pain
Believe in something
Believe in yourself
Turn adversity into ambition
Now blossom into wealth ~ Tupac Shakur

A Love Unspoken

What of a love unspoken? Is it weaker without a name?
Does this love deserve 2 exist without a title
because I dare not share its name
Does that make me cruel and cold
2 deny the world of my salvation
because I chose 2 let it grow
people tend 2 choke
that which they do not understand
Why shouldn't I be weary
and withold this love from MAN
What of a love unspoken
no one ever knows
But this is a love that lasts
and in secrecy it grows ~ Tupac Shakur

Went to church but don't understand it, they underhanded. God gave me these commandments, the world is scandalous. ~ Tupac Shakur

Don't cry through your dispair. ~ Tupac Shakur

Gettin high, livin' everday, like i'm gonna die. ~ Tupac Shakur

I didn't choose the thug life, the thug life chose me. ~ Tupac Shakur

But I see now that whether I show up for work or not, the evil forces are going to beat me. They're going to come 100 percent, so if I dont be 100 percent pure-hearted, I'm going to lose. And thats why I'm losing. ~ Tupac Shakur

The ground is the symbol for the poor people; the poor people is gonna open up this whole world and swallow up the rich people. It's gonna be like - there might be some cannibalism out this mother. They might eat the rich. ~ Tupac Shakur

They Have Money For War But Can't Feed The Poor. ~ Tupac Shakur

No longer living in fear, my pistol close in hand, Convinced this is my year. ~ Tupac Shakur

Trust me I never lose. Either I win or learn from it ~ Tupac Shakur

Papa wasn't man enough, couldn't stand up to his responsibilities. Instead of taking care of me, he'd rather live lavishly. ~ Tupac Shakur

Stay in the game until the end of time. ~ Tupac Shakur

They claim that I'm violent just cuz I refuse to be silent. ~ Tupac Shakur

Everybody raps. We rap to make money. We do business. Ain't no other record company out there that sold as many records as we did. ~ Tupac Shakur