While I'm a huge fan of Kanye's music, I also love watching his interviews. He is always pushing unorthodox ideas, and some of them have provided motivation and inspiration through some tough life moments. I've compiled a list of some of the most inspiring Kanye quotes that I constantly revisit whenever I need an extra push.
1. "If you have the opportunity to play this game of life, you have to appreciate every moment. A lot of people don't appreciate their moment until it has passed."
I'm definitely guilty of not always appreciating the moment. I'm always looking back on moments in my life wishing that I could have enjoyed them more instead of taking them for granted. It's not easy to do, but once in a while, we should all take time to at least reflect on the moments in our life that we value.
2. "My power is not my influence. My power is my ability to not be influenced."
This quote has Kanye written all over it, and it couldn't be truer. It's interesting that different institutions, such as "TIME Magazine," always recognize people's influence over others (Kanye was actually a recipient of this recognition). However, Kanye completely challenges the conventional thought of influence equating to power, and it's definitely interesting to consider what power actually is.
3. "They say I'm not a professional athlete...Well, I go to these arenas and play one on nobody."
In this interview, dating prior to his Adidas deal, Kanye was speaking on companies not giving him the creative control to design clothes and shoes since he wasn't an athlete. This quote is absolutely hilarious, but also a really good point. Artists are performing in arenas just like these athletes are, but are often not given the same endorsement and brand deals that athletes do. It's almost counterintuitive since artists are creatively driven, so it would make more sense if they were given more opportunities to create clothes and shoes.
4. "Most people are slowed down by the perception of themselves. If you're taught you can't do anything, you won't do anything. I was taught I can do everything."
Here, Kanye points out an interesting idea that individuals are the only ones holding themselves back from progressing. It's a very empowering idea that if we just believe we can achieve something, there's no reason that we shouldn't achieve it.
5. "We're not always in the position that we want to be at. We're constantly growing. We're constantly making mistakes. We're constantly trying to express ourselves and actualize our dreams."
This quote is incredible because it tackles the idea that failure is okay. It's important to be reminded that life isn't always constant happiness and positive results. We can always learn from our mistakes, and usually, those mistakes lead to eventual success.
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