“I am only 33, I’ve got a lot to do. This is the first half of my career. I’m looking forward to the future and I’m proud about the past.”

I never was in the Nation of Islam… I mean, what I call myself is a natural Muslim, ’cause it’s just me and God.

You want the industry to finally admit that you’re good. But I’m still good without their admission.

I always was like, “Yo, I’m here, I might as well get what I could take.”

There’s a lot of potential that goes unused in places like South Central L.A., a lot of brilliant, smart people who just don’t have that chance to show it.

Don’t talk about death, I’ve got too much life to live, To many orders to give.

The silver and black may have another home, but the Raiders will always belong to the people of Los Angeles.

Don’t worry about being a star, worry about doing good work, and all that will come to you.

I think reading is important in any form. I think a person who’s trying to learn to like reading should start off reading about a topic they are interested in, or a person they are interested in.

Doing it your own way, not having to go exactly by the book to be successful.

I feel like I got a whole lot of living to do before I think about summing it up in a book.

I’m not actually from Compton – I’m from South Central Los Angeles, and my father still lives in the same house I grew up in, so I’m there all the time.

I’m always happy. I’ve just got a mean face.

I grew up in the seventies and disco was big. That influenced me the most.

I think the worst thing you can do about a situation is nothing.

Don’t get a movie confused with real life. I’m a well-rounded human being like everyone else.

You pay to have a good time, you don’t always want to pay to be schooled or sad or reminded how bad you got it. To me a movie theater ain’t always the place for that.

I’ve been auditioning since I was 7 years old.

Your wrinkles either show that you’re nasty, cranky, and senile, or that you’re always smiling.

I tried when I was 13, when my grandparents gave me an acoustic guitar, and I tried for a year. It hurt so much to play. I mean, the fingertips hurt so much, I gave up.

We eat a lot of lean meat and fresh vegetables.. You are what you eat, you know. When I’m 100 I’ll still be doing pin-ups.

I took classical piano lessons from the age of five.

Balding if God’s way of showing you are only human… He takes the hair off your head and puts it in your ears.

Being male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of age. But being a Gentleman is a matter of choice.

It’s taken me to be an older guy, an old man, to have an old man’s voice. Because I only liked old men’s voices. As a kid, I didn’t like pip-squeaked singers.