Russell Simmons Quotes

I just said let's get some poets on tv. And when they said that sounded unlikely, I made it worse. I said, no man, I want to put a bunch of black poets on stage, too. Some Latino poets who barely speak English and Asian poets who can't believe how discriminated against they are. It was luck nad being in the right place. I wasn't saying nothing somebody else wasn't saying but they wouldn't hear it from them.

Embrace struggle... It is your greatest teacher.

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.

Gangsta rappers, they call them. Not nearly as gangsta as the things that inspire them.. you know, a gangsta government that we operate under.

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.

Anyone whose mission is keeping people apart is swimming against a very strong tide.

The elected officials should be working for the voters who elected them. Money corrupts the process. Why would you be giving a candidate money unless you expect something in return?

By listening to your higher self, or Atman, you can return to the truth that's already inside of you and in the process change not only yourself, but the entire world, through positivity and love.

If you run a corporation, your job is to maximize the return on investment for your investors. Good for you. But by the same token, we have to remember that corporations have no compassion. That’s why legislation and regulations are necessary.

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.

Happy can make you money, but money can't make you happy.

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

I applaud what the Oscars are doing to promote diversity. I think it's great.

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

[T]here's nobody Black in charge of anything in Hollywood.

I don't want to wait for Hollywood to decide that what I do is good.

One positive thought can change your whole day.

There are songs and melody that make you really happy. And there are spiritual gifts that you have - giving these gifts away sometimes gives you that feeling of inspiration. These seconds of awareness make you realize that any second can be your favorite one, and it really is up to you.

The old world is quickly disappearing, and the new opportunities are opening up.

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.

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

I really, really try to be a good servant. It makes me happy when I'm a good giver without expectations.

We need to hear everyone. We need dialogue between police and the community. They're angry. They're hurt. A dialogue can cause a shift in consciousness in the person if he's understanding you and listening.

The less you need, the more you attract.

When you read a book, and it's really, really beautiful, you're so engaged you forget to breathe. If you're in a car accident, and everything moves slowly, you can be shocked into the present. The past and the future disappear.

We want the government to be controlled by all the people, not by the richest 1%. That's always been the first demand. That's a simple enough message, and I think it's pretty clear now, even though much of the media has been disingenuous in its coverage. We don't want the heads of the biggest industries to make all the decisions, because they're not for the people. They're for the corporations. Power to the people!

Hip-hop is about tearing down the system to better it, tearing down the system to better themselves. No matter how flimsy it might seem, they always wanted the finer things in life.

It's important to focus on what we do best and master one craft at a time.

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.

I always say neediness is the cause of suffering. I'm not the only one who says it. It's something I adopted and I believe.

Nothing increases happiness like quiet time. The truth is, the only moments that make you laugh or happy are seconds of stillness.

Not every move you make has to be a great leap

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.

American democracy is spoiled by people buying everything in sight and then selling and buying everything in sight, including our politicians.

The emotional attachment you get with a client or the music fan allows you access to do a lot of things.

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

Unconscious behavior is at the core. Think of the 40 billion animals we abuse and eat who are born into suffering. It's a karmic disaster.

Running all my different companies has turned out to be a lot easier because I mediate twice a day and go to yoga every day.

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

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

Stay in your lane. If you're good enough, people will move to you.

Well, it's the last step of the Civil Rights Movement: you know, wrap your hands around some money.

My idea is to integrate black stars into mainstream stars. It hasn't been explored properly. That's what Im doing in Hollywood.

I don't use my brain about the creative thing. From a business standpoint, I instinctively do things: when I get something right, it's never because I use my brain.

I don't believe that people create their own visions. Rather, I believe that visions are actually God's way of communicating with us.

I think that diversity is key for the next American entrepreneurs. They want to be a part of this society where there is so much diversity they have to have people from all the experiences.

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

I think people instinctively know that their job is to give service and that they are part of a community. It had a great impact on me when my father walked the picket lines and I walked with him during the civil rights movement.