Russell Simmons famous quotes

In my experience, there's only one thing that will always steer you toward success: That's to have a vision and to stick with it... Once I have a vision for a new venture, I'm going to ride that vision until the wheels come off.
-- Russell Simmons

#Vision #Sticks #Venture

I kind of think that artists throughout history, poets throughout history have been criticized for sharing what's on people's minds and I don't think it's any different now.
-- Russell Simmons

#Thinking #Artist #People

Whatever obstacles appear in your path, put your head down and get past them. Those obstacles aren't real. They're just God's way of testing you. He's asking you, 'Do you want to make it or not?'
-- Russell Simmons

#Military #Real #Past

I think the artist's job throughout history has been to tell - to say things that people are inspired by.
-- Russell Simmons

#Jobs #Thinking #Artist

When you do good by the world, the world will do good by you
-- Russell Simmons

#World

There is a subject - there is a research that says a man thinks about sex every 12 seconds. And so when an artist expresses something that's sexual in music it is a reflection of our reality. If we want that reality changed, then we have to do things that affect the core.
-- Russell Simmons

#Sex #Reflection #Reality

When you give without reservation, you’ll become a magnet that pulls the world toward you.
-- Russell Simmons

#Giving #World #Reservations

There is no religious or any kind of a gender that should separate you from any religious ideas.
-- Russell Simmons

#Religious #Ideas #Kind

I used to think anxiety and insomnia drove me to success, but it was the stillness that let me be good at anything. When you extend the seconds of stillness, that's when you're able to think and learn.
-- Russell Simmons

#Insomnia #Thinking #Anxiety

Whatever you chase will run away from you. So, stop chasing success and realize you already have it all.
-- Russell Simmons

#Running #Realizing #Chasing

Decide that no matter what is happening around you, the sun will always be shining in your world.
-- Russell Simmons

#Shining #Matter #Sun

There are no failures, only quitters
-- Russell Simmons

#Quitter #No Failure

"...piling up zeros in your bank account, or cars in your driveway, won't in and of itself make you successful. Rather, true success is based on a constant flow of giving and recieving. In fact, if you look up affluence in the dictionary, you'll see its root is a Latin phrase meaning "to flow with abundance". So in order to be truly affluent, you must always let what you have recieved flow back into the world."
-- Russell Simmons

#Business #Latin #Successful

Embrace struggle... It is your greatest teacher.
-- Russell Simmons

#Teacher #Struggle #Happy Life

I know some people say "Keep your eyes on the prize," but I disagree. When your eyes are stuck on the prize, you're going to keep stumbling and crashing into things. If you really want to get ahead, you've got to keep your eyes focused on the path.
-- Russell Simmons

#Military #Eye #People

Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.
-- Russell Simmons

#People #Surround Yourself With People #Surround Yourself

Happy can make you money, but money can't make you happy.
-- Russell Simmons

#Make You Happy

Mistakes only cost you when you don't acknowledge them.
-- Russell Simmons

#Mistake #Cost #Acknowledge

A person's strength is to know their weaknesses.
-- Russell Simmons

#Weakness #Persons

No matter what you're doing, try to work at that task like it's your dream job.
-- Russell Simmons

#Dream #Jobs #Trying

Labels cloud our vision and distract us from seeing how much we have in common with one another.
-- Russell Simmons

#Clouds #Vision #Labels

My experiences have been, from the very beginning, cultural and creative. And my business has been a way of exposing the culture, exposing the artists so that the world could hear and see them.
-- Russell Simmons

#Artist #Creative #World

It is crucial that rappers have the chance to express the truth that is in their heart.
-- Russell Simmons

#Heart #Rapper #Chance

I think I'm less afraid of failure than some others.
-- Russell Simmons

#Thinking #Inspirational Running #Afraid Of Failure

The key ingredient to any kind of happiness or success is to never give less than your best
-- Russell Simmons

#Happiness #Keys #Giving

If you just remember to breathe and smile before you act, you’ll always make the right decision.
-- Russell Simmons

#Decision #Remember #Breathe

Everyone's goal is to be happy. Happiness is achieved by promoting happiness to others.
-- Russell Simmons

#Positivity #Goal

What holds most people back isn't the quality of their ideas, but their lack of faith in themselves.
-- Russell Simmons

#Faith #Ideas #People

Every day set the simple goal of trying to be more awake and less distracted.
-- Russell Simmons

#Simple #Goal #Trying

...if we are open and we prepare for promoting dialogue and love, and a better understanding of each other, and tolerance and so forth, that's what the world will become, a more tolerant, loving place.
-- Russell Simmons

#Understanding #Tolerance #Culture

Being a thoughtful vegan makes our time on this Earth more peaceful and joyous, because you get to have a hand in promoting and increasing the happiness, good health and well-being of others -- both animal and human -- rather than being an instrument of their suffering and death.
-- Russell Simmons

#Thoughtful #Animal #Hands

The word mantra comes from two Sanskrit words man, ("to think") and tra ("tool'). So the literal translation is "a tool of thought." And that's how mantras are used in Buddhist and Hindu practices, as tools that clear your mind of distractions. Because when you focus on repeating that mantra over and over again, soon the noise will die down and all you will hear is your inner voice.
-- Russell Simmons

#Buddhist #Men #Thinking

The pain that's created by avoiding hard work is actually much worse than any pain created from the actual work itself. Because if you don't begin to work on those ideas that God has blessed you with, they will become stagnant inside of you and eventually begin to eat away at you. You might seem OK on the outside, but inside you will be ill from not getting those ideas out of your heart and into the world. Stalling leads to sickness. But taking steps, even baby steps, always leads to success.
-- Russell Simmons

#Baby #Pain #Blessed

You just have to pay attention to what people need and what has not been done.
-- Russell Simmons

#Business #People #Needs

We meditate so we can see miracles unfolding. Without stillness life is a blur.
-- Russell Simmons

#Miracle #Life Is #Unfolding

I'm not a politician. I only want to help relieve the suffering in communities, and I want to help people see their community in each other.
-- Russell Simmons

#People #Community #Suffering

I want to fight poverty and ignorance and give opportunity to those people who are locked out.
-- Russell Simmons

#Ignorance #Fighting #Opportunity

I want to promote poetry to the point where you got all the baldhead kids running around doing poetry, getting the music out of the way and having only words, the spoken word, and then see what happens.
-- Russell Simmons

#Running #Kids #Way

You cannot find it anywhere, because it is located inside you... happiness is your natural state.
-- Russell Simmons

#Happiness #Natural #States

You have to live your life as if you are already where you want to be.
-- Russell Simmons

#Life #Live Your Life #Want

Reacting to the world with a smile instead of a curse, a wave instead of the middle finger, will actually help you live longer.
-- Russell Simmons

#Inspiration #World #Helping

Good givers are great getters.
-- Russell Simmons

#Giver

I try to make my life about service, and hope that one day we can all 'see' a little better because God is with everyone and everywhere.
-- Russell Simmons

#Trying #One Day #Littles

Needing nothing attracts everything.
-- Russell Simmons

Don't worry what others are doing. Do you!
-- Russell Simmons

#Worry #Live By

Art allows people a way to dream their way out of their struggle.
-- Russell Simmons

#Dream #Art #Struggle

If you wake up deciding what you want to give versus what you're going to get, you become a more successful person. In other words, if you want to make money, you have to help someone else make money.
-- Russell Simmons

#Successful #Giving #Want

It's all about the work. Nothing is going to fall into your lap.
-- Russell Simmons

#Fall #Lap

If you learn late, you pass it on to people so they can learn early. It's a step process.
-- Russell Simmons

#People #Steps #Process

Judgment of the people in the situation is not helpful. How can you help them is the question.
-- Russell Simmons

#People #Helpful #Helping

In the end, the overriding factor in whether or not you realize your dreams is going to be you. Not the world. YOU.
-- Russell Simmons

#Dream #World #Realizing

I've been blessed to find people who are smarter than I am, and they help me to execute the vision I have.
-- Russell Simmons

#Inspiring #Success #Encouragement

You will be a great entrepreneur if you operate with a real sincere wanting to serve.
-- Russell Simmons

#Real #Entrepreneur #Sincere

The thing about hip-hop is that it's from the underground, ideas from the underbelly, from people who have mostly been locked out, who have not been recognized.
-- Russell Simmons

#Ideas #People #Hip Hop

Your purpose is to act on the resources God gives you. If God gives you a bucket of fish, you have to distribute those fish. If you don't, they're going to rot, attract a bunch of flies, and start stinking up your soul.
-- Russell Simmons

#Giving #Soul #Purpose

Money doesn't make u happy .. But happy makes you money..
-- Russell Simmons

Never pass up any opportunity to share your gifts with the world.
-- Russell Simmons

#Opportunity #World #Share

The world belongs to the people who say, 'I can'.
-- Russell Simmons

#People #World

It's very simple: When you're working your hardest, the world opens up to you.
-- Russell Simmons

#Simple #Entrepreneur #World

Be encouraged. Stay on your hustle. You can't fail until u quit.
-- Russell Simmons

#Inspirational #Friday #Hustle

Give what you want to receive. If you want happiness, make others happy.
-- Russell Simmons

#Stay Strong #Giving #Want

It's all about the work. Nothing is going to fall into your lap. If you want to be a lawyer, see yourself as a lawyer, go to the library and start learning the law. If you want to be a rapper, start rapping and get out there. Live your life as if you already are where you want to be.
-- Russell Simmons

#Fall #Rap #Law

If it feels like your life has become a nasty, brackish puddle of water, never forget that you do possess the power to transform it into a beautiful, rushing stream that will carry you to enlightenment.
-- Russell Simmons

#Beautiful #Encouragement #Rushing

The best defense for any group of people is what we do to defend other people.
-- Russell Simmons

#People #Tolerance #Defense

Everything you need to know about success is inside of you, because I believe it is inside of all of us. That is, all human beings have potential for infinite success.
-- Russell Simmons

#Success #Business #Believe

I don't eat any animals or anything that has to do with animals. No fish or egg or dairy because I personally don't feel it's a good practice to eat anything that might run away from you.
-- Russell Simmons

#Running #Animal #Practice

Many of my biggest business endeavors were failures before they became a success. Some failed for as long as six years before they hit. Everyone around me thought I was crazy. You just have to stay at it.
-- Russell Simmons

#Crazy #Years #Long

You know, sometimes people never get to learn how successful they could have been because they give up too easily. If I've learned one thing in all my years in the business, it's that often things don't work out the way you want at first. But that doesn't mean you should give up.
-- Russell Simmons

#Success #Giving Up #Business

Every time I go into a new venture, I find a "rabbi" who has the business acumen to help me understand the mechanics of that industry, the costs involved in developing a product, and what you need to do in order to make a profit.
-- Russell Simmons

#Order #Growth #Needs

I'm really not an angry vegan, but human beings are ***** rude.
-- Russell Simmons

#Rude #Vegan #Humans

The past gives great examples of what can happen in the future. It's always important to remember.
-- Russell Simmons

#Past #Giving #Important

Always try to be yourself.
-- Russell Simmons

#Being Yourself #Trying

I am very pleased to be involved with the Daniel Pearl Music Days committee because its message resonates with me on a very personal level, My own career is an example of the universal power of music, especially the power of Hip Hop, to bring people of different backgrounds together for a common purpose. I hope that my commitment to the Daniel Pearl Music Days committee will encourage all music lovers - both amateurs and professionals - to get involved with the Music Days performance network and contribute to the 'Harmony For Humanity' e-Stage.
-- Russell Simmons

#Commitment #Careers #People

No matter where you want to go, as long as you follow your path with faith, dedication and hard work, you are going to get there.
-- Russell Simmons

#Hard Work #Dedication #Long

If you don't break a hole through the brick wall, don't just start digging a new hole. Keep going until you break through that wall.
-- Russell Simmons

#Wall #Digging #Bricks

Get your hustle on... Hard work is easy, working out is hard.
-- Russell Simmons

#Hard Work #Work Out #Hustle

Those who need nothing attract everything.
-- Russell Simmons

#Needs

If you give a good thing to the world, then over time your karma will be good, and you'll receive good.
-- Russell Simmons

#Karma #Giving #World

Hip-hop is a voice for voiceless poor people.
-- Russell Simmons

#Voice #People #Hip Hop

I am very lucky that I have talented and creative people around me. Also, mediation has been a very big part of my freedom, because it allows me to watch all the things going on and allows me to focus.
-- Russell Simmons

#People #Creative #Focus

I would never condone violence against women in any form, and for all of those I offended, I am sincerely sorry.
-- Russell Simmons

#Sorry #Violence #Form

I knew it was unrealistic to think I could build an institution overnight. But if I took baby steps, eventually it would happen.
-- Russell Simmons

#Baby #Thinking #Steps

But rich or poor, black or white, none of us are entitled to anything.
-- Russell Simmons

#White #Black #Rich

Not every move you make has to be a great leap
-- Russell Simmons

#Moving #Leap

As long as you are passionate about your vision, you should keep moving forward.
-- Russell Simmons

#Moving #Long #Vision

People are murdering each other without any recourse... So we need to get in our communities and work from the inside out.
-- Russell Simmons

#People #Community #Needs

Get unstuck from whatever it is you perceive is holding you back from realizing your dreams.
-- Russell Simmons

#Dream #Realizing #Perceive

If you are a good giver, you will be great getter. The less you need, the more you attract.
-- Russell Simmons

#Needs #Giver

One positive thought can change your whole day.
-- Russell Simmons

#Positive Thoughts

Gratefulness is a practice, just like happiness is a choice.
-- Russell Simmons

#Practice #Choices #Gratefulness

Don't ruin a good today by thinking of a bad yesterday, Let it go!
-- Russell Simmons

#Thinking #Yesterday #Let It Go

You've got to put your head down and do the work. There are no shortcuts.
-- Russell Simmons

#Down And #Shortcuts

The imagination is how things get done. You have to cultivate creativity.
-- Russell Simmons

#Creativity #Imagination #Done

Meditation can reintroduce you to the part that's been missing.
-- Russell Simmons

#Meditation #Missing

Learn to let your thoughts exist on their own without getting too involved in them.
-- Russell Simmons