161 Inspirational 2Pac (Tupac Shakur) Quotes [2024] American Rapper

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Updated: January 20th, 2022

Tupac Shakur was a famous American Rapper, Musician, and Actor, popularly known by his stage name "2Pac".

2Pac is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. He is hugely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. He became a famous rapper with his famous released albums "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.." and "Me Against the World" etc.

We've put together an incredible collection of 2Pac quotes to read.

Here they are:

161 Inspirational 2Pac (Tupac Shakur) Quotes [2024] American Rapper

List of Inspiring 2Pac Quotes

“I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” -- Tupac Shakur

“This fast life soon shatters, cause after all the lights and screams, nothing but my dreams matter.” -- Tupac Shakur

“One thing we all adore, something worth dying for, nothing but pain, stuck in this game, searchin’ for fortune and fame.” -- Tupac Shakur

“The only time I have problems is when I sleep.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Just cause you live in the ghetto doesn’t mean you can’t grow.” -- Tupac Shakur

“When I was a little baby, I remember that one moment of calm-peace, and 3 minutes after that, it was on.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I’m not saying girls are perfect cause we all know that’s not true. But why be unfaithful to her if she was true to you?” -- Tupac Shakur

“I hate the man in the mirror ’cause his reflection makes the pain turn realer.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I don’t have no fear of death. My only fear is coming back reincarnated.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Don’t change on me. Don’t extort me unless you intend to do it forever.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Our future is our confidence and self-esteem.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Everybody’s at war with different things. I’m at war with my own heart sometimes.” -- Tupac Shakur

“If you can make it through the night, there’s a brighter day.” -- Tupac Shakur

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

“We can never go nowhere unless we share with each other.” -- Tupac Shakur

“The seed must grow regardless of the fact that it’s planted in stone.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Behind every sweet smile, there is a bitter sadness that no one can see and feel.” -- Tupac Shakur

“When you do rap albums, you got to train yourself. You got to constantly be in character.” -- Tupac Shakur

“We was young and we was dumb, but we had heart.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Do everything you can to make it around the system, over the system, or out the system.” -- Tupac Shakur

“All I’m trying to do is survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty, unbelievable lifestyle that they gave me.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Pay no mind to those who talk behind your back, it simply means that you are 2 steps ahead.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I would rather be stricken blind than to live without expression of mind.” -- Tupac Shakur

“You know nothing can stop me but loss of breath and I’m still breathing so it’s still on.” -- Tupac Shakur

“People die but legends live forever.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I’m 23 years old. I might just be my mother’s child, but in all reality, I’m everybody’s child. Nobody raised me; I was raised in this society.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I want to grow. I want to be better. You Grow. We all grow. We’re made to grow. You either evolve or you disappear.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I don’t want to be a role model. I just want to be someone who says, this is who I am, this is what I do, I say what’s on my mind.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I feel like role models today are not meant to be put on a pedestal. But more like angels with broken wings.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I am a society’s child. This is how they made me and now I’m sayin’ what’s on my mind and they don’t want that. This is what you made me, America.” -- 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

“That which does not kill me can only make me stronger. I don’t see why everybody feel as though that they gotta tell me how to live my life.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I know it seems hard sometimes but remember one thing. Through every dark night, there’s a bright day after that. So no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out, keep ya head up…. and handle it.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I believe that everything that you do bad comes back to you. So everything that I do that’s bad, I’m going to suffer from it. But in my mind, I believe what I’m doing is right. So I feel like I’m going to heaven”. -- Tupac Shakur

“I set goals, take control, drink out my own bottle. I make mistakes but learn from everyone. And when it’s said and done. I bet this brother be a better one. If I upset you don’t stress. Never forget, that God isn’t finished with me yet.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant strangers.” -- Tupac Shakur, Changes

“Ain’t a woman alive that could take my mama’s place.” -- Tupac Shakur

“It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other.” -- Tupac Shakur

“For a woman, it ain’t easy tryin’ to raise a man.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Time to heal our women, be real to our women.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Everything will be alright if you hold on. It’s a struggle every day, gotta roll on.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I know you’re fed up, ladies, but keep ya head up.” -- Tupac Shakur

“You gotta learn to hold your own.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Sometimes life can be a heavy load.” -- Tupac Shakur

“There’s no way I can pay you back, but the plan Is to show you that I understand: you are appreciated.” -- Tupac Shakur

“It seems the rain’ll never let up I try to keep my head up and still keep from gettin’ wet up.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Look to my future, ‘cause my past is all behind me.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Recollect your thoughts, don’t get caught up in the mix.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Always do your best, don’t let the pressure make you panic.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Don’t think I don’t see you haters, I know y’all in disguise.” -- 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

“Be grateful for blessings.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Is it a crime, to fight, for what is mine?” -- 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

“There’s nobody in the business strong enough to scare me.” -- Tupac Shakur

“We all gonna die, we bleed from similar veins.” -- Tupac Shakur

“In my mind, I’ll be thinking is this true, will I fail? Am I supposed to fail? Should I just stop trying and give up? But then, that’s exactly what they’re waiting for me to do.” -- Tupac Shakur

“There’s gonna be some stuff you gonna see that’s gonna make it hard to smile in the future, but through whatever you see, through all the rain and the pain you gotta keep your sense of humor. You gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit…remember that.” -- Tupac Shakur

“we wouldn’t ask why a rose that grew from the concrete for having damaged petals, in turn, we would all celebrate its tenacity, we would all love its will to reach the sun, well, we are the roses, this is the concrete and these are my damaged petals, don’t ask me why thank god, and ask me how” -- Tupac Shakur

“You gotta make a change. Its time for us as a people to start making some changes, let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live, and let’s change the way we treat each other. You see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us, to do what we gotta do to survive.” -- Tupac Shakur

“The realest people don’t have a lot of friends.” -- Tupac Shakur

“You can never “just be friends” with someone you fall in love with.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Even warriors put their spears down on Sundays.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Don’t leave this world without giving it your all.” -- Tupac Shakur

“A woman brought you into this world, so you have no right to disrespect one.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Out of anger comes controversy, out of controversy comes conversation, out of conversation comes action.”-- Tupac Shakur

“Life is a wheel of fortune and it’s my turn to spin it.” -- Tupac Shakur

“A coward dies a thousand times, a soldier dies but once.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Ain’t a woman alive that could take my mama’s place.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Whatever you see you gotta keep a sense of humor; you gotta be able to smile through all the bullshit.” -- Tupac Shakur

“So no matter how hard it gets, stick your chest out, keep ya head up…. and handle it.” -- Tupac Shakur

“They have money for war but can’t feed the poor.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I mean why have 52 rooms and you know there’s somebody with no room? It just don’t make sense to me.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Many dreams are what we had and plenty wishes.” -- Tupac Shakur

“If they take half the buildings that they use to praise God and give it to the motherfuckers who need God we’d be ‘aight.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I did not wanted to become the victim, so became the bully.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Every time I speak, I want the truth to come out. Every time I speak I want a shiver.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I am a hard person to love but when I love, I love really hard.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Tomorrow I wake with second wind and strong because of pride. I know I fought with all my heart to keep the dream alive.” -- Tupac Shakur

“It don’t stop ’til the casket drop.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Watch for phonies, keep your enemies close, watch your homies.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Imperfection is inherited, therefore we all sin, but fighting the war of sin is the greatest war of all because we all die in the end, no matter how hard we fight.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Don’t believe everything you hear: Real eyes, Realize, Real lies.” -- Tupac Shakur

“What people do for the struggle of power is madness.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I think I’m a natural-born leader. I know how to bow down to authority if it’s authority that I respect.” -- Tupac Shakur

“No matter what these people say about me, my music doesn’t glorify any image. My music is spiritual when you listen to it. It’s all about emotion, I tell my innermost, darkest secrets.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Fear is stronger than love, remember that. Fear is stronger than love. All that love I gave didn’t mean nothing when it came to fear.” -- Tupac Shakur

“What I learned in jail is that I can’t change. I can’t live a different lifestyle -- this is it. This is the life that they gave and this is the life that I made.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I’m a reflection of the community.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Never surrender, it’s all about the faith you got; don’t ever stop, just push it ‘till you hit the top and if you drop, at least you know you gave your all to be true to you, that way you can never fail.” -- Tupac Shakur

“And did you ever stop to think that I'm old enough to go to war but I ain't old enough to drink.”? Tupac Shakur

“If God wanted me to be quiet he would’ve never showed me what he does.” -- Tupac Shakur

“For quiet times disappear listen to the ocean.”? Tupac Shakur

“Wars come and go, but my soldiers stay eternal.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I’m doing this for the kid who truly leads a ‘thug life’ and thinks it’s HOPELESS.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Sometimes I sit and look at life from a different angle.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Hip Hop was supposed to be this new thing that had no boundaries and was so different to everyday music. As long as it has soul to it, hip hop can live on.” -- Tupac Shakur

“If we’re all saying that rap is an art form then we gotta be more responsible for our lyrics. If you see everybody dying because of what you’re saying, it don’t matter that you didn’t make them die, it just matters that you didn’t save them.” -- Tupac Shakur

“In my death, people will understand what I was talking about.” -- Tupac Shakur

“To all the seeds that follow me protect your essence, Born with less, but you still precious.” -- Tupac Shakur

“To me, I am the hardest Nigga out there cause I am real I cry when I need to but I am real.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I feel close to Marvin Gaye, Vincent Van Gogh because nobody appreciated his work until he was dead. Now it’s worth millions.” -- Tupac Shakur

“The Only Thing That Comes to A Sleeping Man is Dreams.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I have no fear. I have no mothafuckin fear. I have only ambition. I want mine, and I will do anything to feed and protect my family.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I think being humble is sexy.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Stop killing each other -- let’s just smoke a blunt.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I was the total opposite of what I am now. I was quiet, withdrawn, I read a lot, I wrote poetry.” —on his childhood.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I’m going to show people my true intentions, and my true heart. I’m going to show them the man that my mother raised. I’m going to make them all proud.” -- Tupac Shakur

“My mother had a really bad childhood, and my father had a bad childhood, and I had a bad childhood, but I love my childhood, even though it was bad, I love it. I feel like it’s taught me so much. And I feel like nothing can faze me, you know nothing in this world, nothing can surprise me, it might set me back, but only momentarily, only to spring back.” -- Tupac Shakur

“The only thing that can kill me is death, that’s the only thing that can ever stop me, is death, and even then my music will live forever.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I live in hell. I have no friends. I never sleep. I can never close my eyes. Can you imagine what it’s like to be who I am?” -- Tupac Shakur

“No matter what these people say about me, my music does not glorify any image, my music is spiritual if you listen to it. It’s all about emotion, it’s all about life.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Everything in life is not all beautiful, not all fun. There is lots of killing and drugs. To me, a perfect album talks about the hard stuff and the fun and caring stuff.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I’m sure. And if you fall, stand tall and come back for more.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Why can’t [the President] take some of those people off the street and put them in his White House? Then he’ll have people from the street to help him with his ideas. They haven’t been homeless forever; they’ve done things for society.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Every time I speak I want the truth to come out. Every time I speak I want a shiver. I don’t want them to be like they know what I’m gonna say because it’s polite. I’m not saying I’m gonna rule the world or I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee you that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” -- Tupac Shakur

“You see you wouldn’t ask why the rose that grew from the concrete had damaged petals. On the contrary, we would all celebrate its tenacity. We would all love its will to reach the sun. Well, we are the rose -- this is the concrete -- and these are my damaged petals. Don’t ask me why, thank God n*, ask me how!” -- Tupac Shakur

“I am not a perfectionist, but still, I seek perfection. I am not a great romantic, but yet I yearn for affection” -- Tupac Shakur

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside while still alive. Never surrender.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I believe that everything you do bad comes back to you. So everything that I do that’s bad, I’m gonna suffer for it. But in my heart, I believe what I’m doing is right. So I feel like I’m going to heaven.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Until it happened, I really did believe that no Black person would ever shoot me. I believed that I didn’t have to fear my own community, You know, I was like I represent them. I’m their ambassador to the world, they will never do me wrong.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I said, I’m gonna write a song about the women like my mom, women like my sister, who I think represent the strong black women, and I did that. Now I’mma write about the women I see every day and that was ‘[I] Get Around.’ If I just write songs like ‘Keep Ya Head Up’ it would make me seem more than what I am, but I’m just a normal man.” -- Tupac Shakur

“If we really are saying rap is an art form, then we got to be more responsible for our lyrics. If you see everybody dying because of what you saying, it don’t matter that you didn’t make them die, it just matters that you didn’t save them.”? Tupac Shakur

“I’d rather die like a man than live like a coward.” -- Tupac Shakur

“With all my fans I got a family again.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Things will never be the same, that’s just the way it is.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Behind every sweet smile, there is a bitter sadness that no one can ever see and feel.”? Tupac Shakur

“Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Always falling too deep in a relationship, always end up being the one that’s hurt the most.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Follow your heart, but take your brain with you.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Whatever it takes to switch places with the bustas on top.” -- Tupac Shakur

“When I was alone, and had nothing I asked for a friend to help me bear the pain No one came, except God When I needed a breath to rise, from my sleep No one could help me.. except God When all I saw was sadness, and I needed answers No one heard me, except God So when I’m asked, who I give my unconditional love to? I look for no other name, except God”-- Tupac Shakur

“I think the MTV generation is the next generation to come and the best generation that we’ve had thus far. They’re starting to see the mistakes; they’re starting to try to check it.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I came to California to escape the violence, to escape New York.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I started seeing my situation and what got me here. Even though I’m innocent of the charge they gave me, I’m not innocent in terms of the way I was acting.” -- Tupac Shakur

“If somebody else blows up and I fade out that’s just how it’s supposed to be, that’s fate.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I’m not perfect. But I’ll always be real.” -- Tupac Shakur

“This is a big question and no one’s been able to answer it and this is staggering. How can President Reagan live in the White House, which has a lot of rooms, and there be homelessness? And he’s talking about helping the homeless.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I want to learn from my mistakes.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I got a big mouth, I can’t help it. I talk from my heart, I’m real.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I’m dealing with a more military type of philosophy -- to mix the street life with respected, known, and proven military philosophy.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Even the genius ask questions.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I would rather have been shot straight-up in cold blood-but to be set up? By people who you trusted? That’s bad.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Is it a crime to fight for what is mine?”? Tupac Shakur

“Only God can judge me.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Everybody against me. Why? Why me? I have not brought violence to you. I have not brought Thug Life to America. I didn’t create Thug Life. I diagnosed it.”? Tupac Shakur

“It seems like every time you come up something happens to bring you back down.” -- Tupac Shakur

“As wars come and go, my soldier stays eternal.”? Tupac Shakur

“My life was lived through falling rain, so call on me if there be pain.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I’d rather die like a man than live like a coward.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I’ll probably be punished for hard living.” -- Tupac Shakur

“No one knows my struggle, they only see the trouble. Not knowing how hard it is to carry on when no one loves you.” -- Tupac Shakur

“There’s no way I could pay you back but my plan is to show you that I understand, you are appreciated.” -- Tupac Shakur

“Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots.”? Tupac Shakur

“I’m not trying to make people think I’m in here faking it, but my whole life is going to be about saving somebody.” -- Tupac Shakur

“As long as the music has the true-to-the-heart soul it can be hip hop. As long it has soul to it, hip hop can live on.” -- Tupac Shakur

“And I want n* to be educated. You know, I was steering people away from school. You gotta be in school because through school you can get a job. And if you got a job, then that’s how they can’t do us like this.” -- Tupac Shakur

“I don’t see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them to have answers.” -- Tupac Shakur

“You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could’ve, would’ve happened or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move the fuck on.” -- 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

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Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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