It's time we stop worrying, and get angry you know? But not angry and pick up a gun, but angry and open our minds.
i will live by the gun and die by the gun
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a life lived in violence, indicating that one's choices can lead to a fate aligned with those choices.
In this quote, Tupac Shakur encapsulates the harsh reality of a life influenced by street culture and violence. It suggests that embracing a violent lifestyle will ultimately dictate one's fate, leading to a potentially tragic end. The phrase 'live by the gun' signifies a commitment to a life that accepts danger and conflict, while 'die by the gun' implies that such a lifestyle can result in its own demise, leaving little room for escape or redemption.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of street culture on youth, this quote can illustrate the consequences of a violent lifestyle.
More from Tupac Shakur
All quotes βI'm down for you, so ride with me._x000D_ _x000D_ My enemies your enemies,_x000D_ _x000D_ Cause you ain't ever had a friend like me.
Life's a test, mistakes are lessons, but the gift of life is knowing that you have made a difference.
I'm not saying I'm gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.
I don't want to be a role model. I just want to be someone who says, this is who I am, this is what I do, I say what's on my mind.
All I'm trying to do is survive and make good out of the dirty, nasty, unbelievable lifestyle that they gave me.
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Life is a sport...drink it up.
I find myself thinking more about the past as I get older... maybe because there's just more of it to think about. At the same time, I'm less haunted by it than I was as a younger person. I guess that's probably the ideal: to reach a point where you have access to all of your memories, but you don't feel victimized by them.
As young people we want something to slow us down and keep us trapped in one place long enough to look below the surface of the world. That disaster is a car crash or a war. To make us sit still. It can be getting cancer or getting pregnant. The important part is how it seems to catch us by surprise. That disaster stops us from living the life we'd planned as children - a life of constant dashing around.
One thing I'm not going to do is chase staying alive. You spend so much time chasing staying alive, you won't live.
No one escapes from a war. No one. Not even the survivors. You accept things that would appall you at any other time because life has temporarily lost all meaning.
People who mattered could not take the humdrum world. But this was not the world, it was enchantment; and all of it was mine.