Around 20. I'd been trying to transition from the streets to the music business, but I would make demos and then quit for six months. And I started to realize that I couldn't be successful until I let the street life go. Jay-Z More Quotes by Jay-Z More Quotes From Jay-Z When you step outside of school and have to teach yourself about life, you develop a different relationship to information. I've never been a purely linear thinker. You can see it in my rhymes. My mind is always jumping around, restless, making connections, mixing and matching ideas, rather than marching in a straight line. That's why I'm always stressing focus. My thoughts chase each other from room to room in my head if I let them, so sometimes I have to slow myself down. Jay-Z stress jumping school Don't make decisions based on the fear. Jay-Z decision The genius thing that we did was, we didn't give up. Jay-Z not-giving-up giving-up genius I'm hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to learn every day, to get brighter and brighter. Jay-Z hungry-for-knowledge hungry-for-success whole Males shouldnt be jealous. Thats a female trait. Jay-Z males jealous female May the best of your today's be the worst of your tomorrow's Jay-Z tomorrow may today You can want success all you want, but to get it, you can’t falter. You can’t slip. You can’t sleep. One eye open, for real, and forever. Jay-Z eye real sleep No one's walking around here perfect. Everyone's gonna make mistakes. That's part of how you learn. Jay-Z making-mistakes perfect mistake Leave a mark they can't erase, neither space nor time. Jay-Z erase mark space I'm not concerned with noise because I'm playing the long game. Jay-Z games inspirational long Difficult takes a day Jay-Z hip-hop impossible sleep I keep my enemies close/ I give 'em enough rope/ They put themselves in the air/ I just kick away the chair. Jay-Z air giving enemy I got mouths to feed til they put flowers on me. Jay-Z flower mouths Nine to five is how ya survive, I ain't trying to survive Jay-Z alive and-love trying I'd rather die enormous than live dormant. Jay-Z dormant enormous dies I'm a mirror. If you're cool with me, I'm cool with you, and the exchange starts. What you see is what you reflect. If you don't like what you see, then you've done something. If I'm standoffish, that's because you are. Jay-Z mirrors done ifs There's the gift, there's the spirit, and there's the work-all three have to come together. If one of those things is off, it can stop you from becoming who you were meant to be. Jay-Z were-meant-to-be three together I've never looked at myself and said that I need to be a certain way to be around a certain sort of people. I've always wanted to stay true to myself, and I've managed to do that. People have to accept that. Jay-Z people way needs Life is a gift, love opens it up. Jay-Z life-is-a-gift life-is In trouble waters I had to learn how to float Jay-Z floats trouble water
