I'm by no means a perfect human being. I experience more than half of my life perpetuating darkness. That was because I was dropped in a place of darkness and expected to find a way out.
T.I.All of US sometimes feel that one of the most difficult things in the world is to talk to US about US in an effort to help US.
T.I.It's only five rappers out of Atlanta who bussin and I'm one of 'em; the other four you know who you are; but if you gotta think twice (well) shawty ya ain't nice; regardless of ya publishin' deal ya can't write
T.I.You're gonna be your best salesman. If you don't sell yourself, nobody else is gonna have a better time with it than you. You've gotta get up for it, every day.
T.I.I don't think there's anything wrong with sitting down with people as long as you understand that there are needs to be met and purposes to be served.
T.I.I always want to execute and maximize off of potential, and this is a natural progression. Coming up as a youngster, I always wanted to be a rapper, but I knew that if I did everything right as a rapper, I'd end up as an actor, following the models of Ice Cube, Tupac [Shakur] and Will Smith.
T.I.We should not live one more day ignoring the sh** that suffocates and strangles US keeping US imprisoned in our own communities.
T.I.A responsibility to be a role model as a father yes, as a man, as a public figure, yes. That responsibility just leads me to do what I feel is right and to conduct myself with the moral standards, principles, and integrity that were instilled in me by my family.
T.I.If you are a true fan, you're a fan for one of two reasons. You either support what I do or you support me as a person. If you support what I do, the quality of work speaks for itself. If you support me as a person, my personal and political views won't alienate you. If you find a way to be turned off, that means you were never a fan in the first place. You were just riding the wave.
T.I.We have been underserved, underprivileged and unfortunate for far too long. There are no more excuses. It's not enough to have limited progress and allow our expectations and sense of purpose to evaporate. So, if that means we must sacrifice some nights at the club and give up buying the latest designer handbags and sneakers... well then damn, so be it.
T.I.Even when I lose faith in myself there is something in me that speaks through and says I am not finished yet.
T.I.Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that have no true value for real, man. And I mean, we do it just to impress people that could care less if your children or your children's children have anything left to show for your life after you gone.
T.I.If I think of something, half-way into it, I can throw it in there and it won't be so far down the line that it would be insignificant. However, I also like to completely focus on something for a certain period of time, and then be able to move on to something else.
T.I.The one thing we all have in common is that we're human. Why pay more attention to the things that make us different over the things that bring us together?
T.I.We are the benefactors of too much sacrifice and blood, sweat and tears to allow petty differences and trivial discrepancies to continue to separate and divide US, while we are being used, exploited and conquered.
T.I.We've somehow allowed ourselves to think it's okay to neglect and abandon our responsibility to ourselves and to our community. Everything cannot be blamed on the system.
T.I.You can't go through the kinds of things I've gone through, as much as I have, without re-evaluating yourself and making adjustments. And you can't endure these horrendous circumstances without developing a certain level of strength and wisdom.
T.I.While there's currently great turmoil, there is even greater opportunity for US to work together to transform our community. Far too many of our children are fatherless, far too many of our mothers are standing in the prison waiting rooms and far too many of our young people feel hopeless.
T.I.There's a wide variety of demographics for fans of T.I. now, that you have to do something to satisfy everyone.
T.I.I can only hope that one day soon we'll understand our true economic buying power by investing in our own communities and putting our money into businesses that keep our dollars in our community.
T.I.We cannot continue to get caught up in having material abundance and yet be fundamentally and spiritually broke.
T.I.I aint dead, I aint done, I ain't scared, I aint run, no matter what, no matter what, Still I stand
T.I.I'm not going to do red jeans. No green jeans. I don't do Vans and that's the style right now. I don't want to show my socks when I'm wearing jeans.
T.I.I always tried to work hard and stay focused, and just use one opportunity to contribute to the next.
T.I.It is imperative for US to parent our children and educate them outside of the school systems, as our education system was not designed to lift US out of oppression.
T.I.As far as from a standpoint of success, the only person who is in a position to make a claim like that sort [for the 'King Of The South' title] would be Lil Wayne - as far as success from a numbers standpoint. As far as longevity and success, that's the only person I feel like can say that.
T.I.I always knew that there were huge opportunities for me, and that I had a lot of potential to do a lot of different things, but I also knew it was about my execution and my application of skills.
T.I.As long as you focus on your strengths and remain natural, then you come off natural [in your work].
T.I.