Inspirational Quotes
Words to motivate, inspire, and guide you.
Frank Ocean Quotes
EvacuationHurricaneAdversity I grew up in New Orleans. I had just moved into my dorm at the University of New Orleans, and I was doing laundry, and my mom called me, like, 'We've got to evacuate. There's a hurricane's coming.'
VersatilityOpen-mindednessSelf-AwarenessGrowthAuthenticity I don't ever want to be caught up in a system of thinking I can do one thing 'cos that's just... that's just telling yourself a lie.
MemoryNon-LinearityPerception How we experience memory sometimes, it's not linear. We're not telling the stories to ourselves. We know the story; we're just seeing it in flashes overlaid.
ArtFilmMusic Obviously, the cinematography of films is art, just as a still shot can be art. If I'm watching a Wes Anderson movie, the colour palettes alone, and the way they're painted, could be art. With music, you're a little bit limited, of course, because it's only audio.
LegacyHumilityRecognition Sometimes I'm fascinated with how famous my work could be while I'm not so famous.
PrideAcceptanceWisdomReflection My grandfather was smart and had a whole lot of pride. He didn't speak a terrible amount, but you could tell there was a ton on his mind - like a quiet acceptance of how life had turned out.
CreativityBusinessImportance I respect Drake not only as a creative person but as a business mind as well. I think Drake's important.
ColorPerception In the studio, we adhere to a strict colour code. Developed over decades, the colour code consists of a finite and precise colour palate... The whole world as we experience it comes to us through the mystic realm of colour.
WritingCommunicationMusicSelf-Expression I feel like I was writing as I was learning to talk. Writing was always a go-to form of communication. And I knew I could sing from being in tune with the radio.
AmbitionCreativityInspirationDevelopment I booked my first studio at like 12 or 13. Somewhere in that season of my life, singing along with the radio became me wanting to be on radio, you know. And writing Langston Hughes replica poems became me wanting to write like Stevie Wonder.
SonicsStoryBalance Some people focus more on sonics. Some people focus more on story. I focus on both sonics and story.
Film ArtMusicalityRhythmEditing Whenever I think about movies, I always look at that art process as having the best of a lot of worlds. Because if you watch a great film, you have a musical element to it, not just on the scoring, but in the way that the shots are edited - that has music and rhythm and time.
MusicJournalismAction Here's what I think about music and journalism: The most important thing is to just press play.
ChallengePurposeFulfillmentLegacyPerseverance We all know we have a finite period of time. I just feel if I'm going to be alive, I want to be challenged - to be as immortal as possible. The path to that isn't an easy way, but it's a rewarding way.
LearningGrowthChallengeMastery It's more interesting for me to figure out how to be superior in areas where I'm naive, where I'm a novice.
ArtExcellenceRecognitionInterconnectedness In art, at a certain level, there is no 'better than.' It's just about trying to operate for yourself on the most supreme level, artistically, that you can and hoping that people get it. Trusting that, just because of the way people are built and how interconnected we are, greatness will translate and symmetry will be recognised.
FunctionalityProcessEvolution I can't usually stomach a project after I finish it, but for those days and weeks and months that it's new to me, I do listen to it, and it might change over time, but it's about function.
CreativityContent Creation I'm in this business to be creative - I'll even diminish it and say to be a content provider.
EnvyAspirationSelf-Acceptance Super-envious of the fact that Daft Punk can wear robot helmets and be one of the most famous bands in the world, while also understanding that will never be my situation.
IndividualitySelf-ReliancePersonal Ownership This has always been my life and no one else's, and that's how it's always been since the day I came in it.
ArtCareerWork EthicDedication I've always wanted to make a career in the arts, and I think that my only hope at doing that is to make it more about the work.
SongwritingSpecificityEffort When you write a song like 'Forrest Gump,' the subject can't be androgynous. It requires an unnecessary amount of effort.
EmotionVulnerabilityEmotional Suppression Boys do cry, but I don't think I shed a tear for a good chunk of my teenage years.
Hard WorkPerseveranceDedication The first four and a half years was me in the studio every day, writing songs for other people. I had jobs, too - eleven jobs. I worked at Kinko's, Fatburger, Subway - I was a sandwich artist - and I was a claims processor at Allstate Insurance.
LeadershipConvictionCourageEffectiveness I have no delusions about my likability in every scenario. I know that in order to get things done the way you want them, oftentimes your position will be unpopular.
CreativityInspirationOvercoming ObstaclesGratitude I want to thank The Beatles for almost single-handedly getting me out of writer's block.
EnjoymentMusicArtCreativity I enjoy singing my songs in front of people. I enjoy being involved in making the artwork for albums and stupid stuff like that.
AuthenticityTrustIntegrityRelationship BuildingSimplicity There's just some magic in truth and honesty and openness.
ResponsibilityStrugglePersonal GrowthWealthSuccess It started to weigh on me that I was responsible for the moves that had made me successful, but I wasn't reaping the lion's share of the profits, and that was problematic for me.
CreativityGift vs. BurdenSufferingStrugglePhilosophy of Life I've written some great things. That's a gift, but there's consequences. Yeah, you get this great work, but you suffer. You really, really suffer.
CreativityExperienceTruthExpressionMeaning My music definitely comes from a place of experience. Everything connects to a truth.
RiskFearPerceptionExcessive Fear I won't touch on risky, because that's subjective. People are just afraid of things too much. Afraid of things that don't necessarily merit fear.
BoundariesTrustRespectCreativitySelf-Expression As a writer, as a creator, I'm giving you my experiences. But just take what I give you. You ain't got to pry beyond that.