"It isn't about how hard you get hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and still get back up."

"One day, I'll be somebody who you will look up to."

"Greatness is not given. It is not bought. It is not hereditary. Greatness is earned."

"Friends come and go. Relationships may not last. But family is forever."

"There is no enemy greater than yourself. You're not good at math? That's because you don't study! You're not good at writing? That's because you don't write! You say you want to be all these things, but you are not doing anything about it! Just take the first step."

"You want to go to the next level? Let me tell you, you can't get to that level. You can't get to that level economically where you want to be. You're not reading books, you're not writing. You're too worried about what other people think of you. All you're concerned about is trying to make them happy. I challenge you to spend an hour getting to know yourself. I challenge you to get to a place where people not liking you doesn't even bother you anymore because you are not concerned with trying to make them happy."

"With an attitude like that, you're going to go far, kid."

"You can make your parents proud. You can make your school proud."

"Hey, being Black isn't a curse. Your ancestors were kings and queens. You're a decedent of royalty. Act like it. Work like it."

"This is a fucked up world. With fucked up people. Fucked up places. Don't fall into a fucked up routine."

"Maya."

"Hmm?"

"Make us proud."