We were poor. But my mom never accepted that. She worked hard to become a residential contractor - got her master's with honors at the University of New Orleans. I used to go to every class with her. Her father was my paternal figure.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes resilience and hard work in the face of adversity, showcasing the influence of a strong maternal figure.
In this quote, Frank Ocean reflects on his childhood experiences of poverty and highlights the determination of his mother, who defied their circumstances by becoming a successful residential contractor. Her commitment to education, exemplified by earning a master's degree with honors, serves as an inspiration not only to him but also illustrates how strong, nurturing figures can impact one's life significantly. The acknowledgment of his grandfather as a paternal influence further underscores the importance of family support and role models in overcoming challenges.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a graduation speech to emphasize the importance of perseverance.
Whenever I think about movies, I always look at that art process as having the best of a lot of worlds. Because if you watch a great film, you have a musical element to it, not just on the scoring, but in the way that the shots are edited - that has music and rhythm and time.
It's about the stories. If I write 14 stories that I love, then the next step is to get the environment of music around it to best envelop the story, and all kinds of sonic goodness - sonic goodies.
I think we all change each other's paths. I don't know which law idea that is in physics, but I don't think any of us can live without affecting one another.
Work hard in silence, let success be your noise.
Some people focus more on sonics. Some people focus more on story. I focus on both sonics and story, but music sometimes, just music itself, can turn into more of a maths problem. I guess everything in life is a math problem, but it can be more about an empirical route to getting the symmetry that you want, and this vibe, sonically.
The work is the work. The work is not me.
If the Angel deigns to appear, it will be because you have convinced him, not by tears but by your humble resolve to be always beginning — to be a Beginner!
I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.
My daddy thought - no, he expected - that my brothers and I and our generation would make the world a better place. He was correct in his belief because he had lived in an America of continual social progress, depression followed by prosperity, segregation by integration, and so on.
Catch on fire and people will come for miles to see you burn.
Inspiration follows aspiration.
If a human being dreams a great dream, dares to love somebody; if a human being dares to be Martin King, or Mahatma Gandhi, or Mother Theresa, or Malcolm X; if a human being dares to be bigger than the condition into which she or he was born-it means so can you. And so you can try to stretch, stretch, stretch yourself so you can internalize, 'Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto. I am a human being, nothing human can be alien to me.' That's one thing I'm learning.
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