I'm in a very close-knit, very, very tight family. My grandmother had 13 kids, so we had a lot of family like 50, 60 grandchildren and we all lived in Jersey, relatively in the same area. So every time there was something, my entire family was there. And I just believed everybody's family was like that.

Lauryn Hill

Let me be patient, let me be kind, make me unselfish, without being blind.

Lauryn Hill

be-kind patient blind

We should always be aspiring to know more, and to better ourselves, and to improve ourselves. To improve ourselves, because that's how we improve the world around us, by working within us.

Lauryn Hill

should knows world

I consider myself a crayon... I may not be your favorite color but one day you'll need me to complete your picture.

Lauryn Hill

funny-life color self-esteem

We don't know love like we should. We always talk about 'I have unconditional love' unconditional love is... we don't even know it. Because if a person stops stimulating us, we stop loving them. You're not interesting to talk to anymore, goodbye. But that real love, that love that sometimes is difficult, difficult to have. That's that love. And that's a confidence builder.

Lauryn Hill

unconditional-love real goodbye

And deep in my heart. The answer, it was in me. And I made up my mind. To define my own destiny

Lauryn Hill

destiny mind heart

If everyone is a product of this society, who will say the things that need to be said, and do the things that need to be done, without compromise? Truth will never start out popular in a world more concerned with marketability than righteousness. It will initially suffer ridicule and even violence - yet ultimately it is undeniable. All of humanity is living in a dream world, but suffering real consequences.

Lauryn Hill

real humanity dream

We should constantly be aspiring to reach higher and higher and higher. We should never be comfortable where we are.

Lauryn Hill

higher comfortable should

Don't be a hard rock when you really are a gem!

Lauryn Hill

encouraging rocks witty

Love is an incredible thing but we don't know love like we should. Unconditional love we don't know it because if a person stops stimulating us, we stop loving them.

Lauryn Hill

incredibles unconditional-love love-is

Everything we do should be a result of our gratitude for what God has done for us.

Lauryn Hill

gratitude done reality

I am no longer going to become a fictional character to please people. That's too much work.

Lauryn Hill

too-much character people

Every day is a lesson in focus for me, and not buying into the world's concept of what you have to be. I really try every day to be individual and not just in my style or my look or my music, but in my approach to life.

Lauryn Hill

style focus trying

Never be afraid of not knowing. Find out.

Lauryn Hill

not-knowing knowing

Loving you is like a Song I replay every 3 Minutes and 30 Seconds of every Day.

Lauryn Hill

loving-you minutes song

We can't plan life. All we can do is be available for it.

Lauryn Hill

plans motivational life

To me that's a reflection of love, when someone can see you enjoying yourself, and want to participate, or want to encourage, or want to help you to do something that you enjoy.

Lauryn Hill

reflection want helping

Life is continued work. It's constant learning. The whole concept of retirement I don't even buy into. We should constantly be working. Maybe not physically working, but we could be spiritually, emotionally working toward bettering ourselves and bettering the lives of others around us.

Lauryn Hill

should life-is retirement

A lot of us are too busy focusing on what we think people want to hear, as opposed to just saying what's in our hearts.

Lauryn Hill

heart people thinking

Once you compromise yourself in one way, you compromise yourself in another way. And you've just opened the door to compromise, mediocrity, settling.

Lauryn Hill

mediocrity doors way

A friend once said, and I found to be true,That everyday people, they lie to God too,So what makes you think, that they won't lie to you.

Lauryn Hill

lying people thinking