Russell Simmons People Quotations

I look for people who have insight in places where I don't.

There are poor white people who hear rap music and feel it is about them, because it is. That's why you have an Eminem and a Bubba Sparxxx and rappers like that.

I kind of think that artists throughout history, poets throughout history have been criticized for sharing what's on people's minds and I don't think it's any different now.

I would like to employ more people but I don't want to empower my charities at the cost of exploiting people or doing things that are not useful, so I'm working on that.

I had too many businesses that are frivolous. I have enough. What interests me most is under-served communities. We need a new style of empowering these people, and new approaches.

Young people, when they're left alone, always want to have compassion, and they always want to give. They always want to help people who are less fortunate.

The most aggressive views governing this country speak a lot about inclusion. We still have some people in this country who don't really get that we all have the same agenda, aspirations, hopes, and fears. I want people to be free and to be able to express themselves, to find the best ways to say things so that people can digest them.

I'm always surrounded by smart talented people. I had talented partners. Stan Latham for one. Talent scouts.

I want to do and I'm giving all the profits to charity, is to teach people to meditate. All it takes is a little bit of patience.

And the more people meditate, the more it increases the positive vibrations turning the planet into a positive, happy place. The more you do that, the greater service you are to God.

[Performing artists] are making greater percentages. People are going to live events more and it's a big success story for everyone - except the music industry itself.

People are afraid of failure - they don't like to work so hard and have people keep saying, 'No.' I think that's what people fear most.

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

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

I have 2 million Twitter followers. Some of those people are also yogis and activists and people who really go out and make a difference. I do as much as I can with my voice. It's effortless in some cases. I try to remind everybody that they have that kind of voice.

Success is happiness. People say, "Oh that sounds corny." No matter how rich you are you can only sit your ass in one seat at a time. You have to be comfortable in that seat.

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.

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

A large portion of American citizens, especially people of color, have lost confidence in our criminal justice system. Many have called for appointing special prosecutors when a police officer kills or injures a civilian. If you were elected president, would you publicly support special prosecutors in these cases and what is one other thing you would do to fix our broken justice system?

When I started the diamond business, no black person, period, was in it to do what we're trying to do to change the industry. So I like to do things that I see clearly that are in my, you know, scope. And then, I had to figure how I get talented or smart business people around me to execute. That's what I have to do.

I think Hollywood is incredibly segregated. I've never seen any place like it. The gatekeepers who are the most progressive activists inspired to make the world better... they're better people, right? They're segregated. It's self segregated in some cases, but there's nobody Black in charge of anything in Hollywood.

People will always blame the poets for society's ills. But these are the true artists.

You can't jump to vegan if you're not. Some people are absolute. Some people are able to be gradual.

People build themselves up before you even have to deal with them.

You know, the diversity that America has is so special. It's starting to really become a cool thing for young people.

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

Look at all the billionaires. If I know 15 billionaires, I know 13 unhappy people.

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

Hip-hop is a voice for voiceless poor people.

86% of its audience was made up of people of color. That tells you that the full potential of many black stars won't be realized until their audiences are fully integrated.

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.

The best defense for any group of people is what we do to defend other people.

The thing about hip-hop is that it's from the underground, ideas from the underbelly, from people who have mostly been locked out, who have not been recognized.

Hollywood is full of very liberal people, but it still has an infrastructure that needs to be broken.

I'm not a politician. I only want to help relieve the suffering in communities, and I want to help people see their community in each other.

If you learn late, you pass it on to people so they can learn early. It's a step process.

The world belongs to the people who say, 'I can'.

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

Judgment of the people in the situation is not helpful. How can you help them is the question.

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.

What holds most people back isn't the quality of their ideas, but their lack of faith in themselves.

Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.

I try to use my voice. I know that celebrity is valuable, and people do listen.

Most people believe that results matter. The idea that results matter is one that you have to keep letting go of. And most of the time, I believe it.

I run a bunch of charities and I say this line to people: 'I am somebody who has always been helped.' A little thing like that can make people believe it.

Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Pick people who are interested in what you're interested in.

The commemoration deserves the respect and support of all people of good will who cherish the universal love of humanity, ... The time has come for the Hip-Hop community and all of us to come together and participate in a movement which will have a fundamental influence on the lives of this generation and generations to come.

We packaged it intentionally in a way for people to digest the physical practice. It's not meant to get them worried about religion or spirituality.

We're going to register millions of young people to vote and the benefit concert will help us fulfill our goal,

I don't spend any time thinking about my place in history, ever. If people say I changed things, it's nice, and I take it - but if I could give it to a charity it would be useful. I really believe now that my only job in life is to achieve a state of comfort and happiness.

The reason that I have Global Grind is to communicate ideas to people who might otherwise not be listening.

The mindset of poverty is something that has to be overcome. I don't believe that those people who are living in this struggle -- I'm not saying what Bill Cosby is saying, for instance. I'm saying that it's our job to continue to give back.