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You can't let your past hold your future hostage.
LL Cool J
I just look at the high and bright side of things.
That's one of the good things about music. You get to do it live, where you can touch the people and interact with them.
Sometimes altering your position is the right thing. Sometimes it's not.
Sometimes you've just got to grab an apple - or grapes, or strawberries. Something that's healthy but maybe a little bit more adventurous, if you can see fruit as adventurous.
Art is about imagination. When you look at a picture from Salvador Dali, that's about imagination. When you look at Picasso, that's about imagination. Doing stuff from your heart.
I try to do the right thing with money. Save a dollar here and there, clip some coupons. Buy ten gold chains instead of 20. Four summer homes instead of eight.
I feel like my peers now are artists like Madonna and the Stones, Michael Jackson and Prince. These are people who were able to take their careers beyond the normal here-today-gone-tomorrow life span.
When adversity strikes, that's when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on.
Hip-hop's always reached out to kids. If you look at the last 10 big albums it might seem ironic. But when I look at the history of this music it's always had a lot of positivity.
Our world is at the crossroads. We have a choice, right and wrong.
I've been training as an actor for six years. Nobody goes to acting school for six years. I mean, the college course is only four years! I absolutely trained.
People will feel the way they feel.
What I don't do is try to like become whoever I'm rapping with. The people who go get an LL album want to hear LL.
I think the key to working out is for people to think of water - just allow the workouts to fill out the cracks in your lives and seep into wherever you can fit it in.
Nobody is perfect, but life is about choices.
I am what I am, I'm doing very well in my life, and I'm thankful to God for that.
We're going to raise a lot of money for cancer awareness, give some to the American Cancer Society and hopefully make a big difference.
I think the stuff that plays on the radio, the majority of it is for teenagers, which is okay. That's what pop radio is about. And some of it is great, and some of it is not.
I'm not trying to be new school and I'm not old school - I'm classic. There's a lot of new cars and there's a lot of old cars, but I'm just classic in doing what I do.
I do about 90 percent of my own stunts, and the things I can't do for insurance reasons, like swinging out of a flying helicopter, I wouldn't want to do anyway.
I'm not just a rapper. I'm an entertainer. That's the difference.
I only do what comes from the heart.
If you do cardio one day and the next day you can do weights, do it that way. If you need to do it at night or in the morning, do it that way. Whatever you need to get it done, just get it done.
Dreams don't have deadlines. I'm thinking of doing bigger and better things and having more fun with it.
I think that politics could be a positive thing. My beef is that people focus on the personal aspect of a politician too much. They should focus on the results.
I think I'm the best, of course. How could I not?
I think fitness is important. I think a healthy lifestyle is important. I think putting positive energy out there is important and just staying connected with the people.
I think the guy who has had the better films is Will Smith. I don't know if he's a better actor than me. I don't think so. I am a rapper first. Man, I just love what I do. I am just the greatest and I can't help it. I'm sorry man.
God blesses us all with different views and perspectives and levels of influence and power.
The people who go get an LL album want to hear LL. They don't want to hear LL trying to sound like DMX or whoever else is out there. That's not what they want to hear from me, because if they want to hear that they can go get the real thing.
I don't look back. I don't live my life in the rear-view mirror because, if you do, you're bound to end up wrapped around a pole somewhere.
Do what you love; you'll be better at it. It sounds pretty simple, but you'd be surprised how many people don't get this one right away.
I am artistic so I reserve the right to change my mind at any point. I just like to do different things. What is more important than the name is that people know that I really like acting, I enjoy it and I want people to know that I am serious.
To know the rules of the game, you have to be educated.
As a black man, my hope is that I can touch more and more people all over the world of different races and different colours.
Let me tell you something - compared to a TV-drama production schedule, touring is not strenuous.
To me, my peers are Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger. I'm not talking age-wise, but in terms of careers. Madonna. Those are my peers. And I'm okay with that.
The secret to it all is just to enjoy what you're doing. This is not working at the coal face, this is not sweeping behind a restaurant. It's work, but it's not work. It gives me a different type of energy. I'm grateful for that.
I'm not giving up my history and what I've done in my music because I love it and I'm very proud of it. I just want to open it up for more people.
What I say on a record and what I say off a record is two different things. And that's always been the case. There's a difference between confidence on a record and arrogance.
I've got to see my movie to see how I'm acting, see what little things I can learn about my craft.
The nature of the game is pain.
What is more important than the name is that people know that I really like acting, I enjoy it and I want people to know that I am serious. The name thing: I will always be L.L. Cool J.
I was listening to Jimi Hendrix; I just admire his artistry and creativity as an artist.
Stand up and face your fears, or they will defeat you.
At fourteen, I started sending out demo tapes.
I love my fans, I love my music - I have no reason to retire.
You don't need to be the good guy to get a good message out.
Once the referee throws the ball in the air, it's either your ball or their ball and you have to just take your shot.
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