Russell Simmons

As I get, I give. Giving as you get is critical. It has everything to do with being happy for yourself, and making others happy is the cause of making yourself happy, and it’s the cycle of giving and getting.

I think if you're open-minded, the road will take you where it takes you. If you're closed, you might not get to go where the road is heading.

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.

I'm just suggesting that when you're faced with fear and anxiety, don't medicate. Meditate instead.

Always focus on your effort, instead of the results of that effort.

America, you know, they always separate people because of race. They've been able to convince, 'The niggers are coming.' You know, the diversity that America has is so special. It's starting to really become a cool thing for young people. Not only because there are more mixes of people, but because people are more open-minded about each other. So I think in the future, America has a great, great opportunity, and mostly because of hip-hop.

"...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."

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

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

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

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

The difference between blues, jazz, rock n' roll and rap is that rap stayed poor. Even the white rappers are poor. It's scarier to look at poor people; it makes everyone uncomfortable. Their pain is something that people would like to see swept under the rug.

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

Embrace struggle... It is your greatest teacher.

If you aren't passionate about a vision, it's hard to have faith in it.

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.

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

People are afraid of failure - they don't like to work so hard and have people keep saying, 'No.' I think that's what people fear most.

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

Gratefulness is a practice, just like happiness is a choice.

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.