I met this girl when I was ten years old,_x000D_ _x000D_ And what I loved most she had so much soul._x000D_ _x000D_ She was old school, when I was just a shorty_x000D_ _x000D_ Never knew throughout my life she would be there for me.
CommonRead
Man, if I get a chance to speak on the microphone, I've got to say something somewhere in there. You know, I'm going to laugh and have fun, too, but something has to be said that has some substance, because this is a platform, and the power that we have with words and with this microphone is phenomenal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the responsibility of using one's voice to convey meaningful messages.
In this quote, Common reflects on the importance of using the microphone, a symbol of communication, to express significant ideas while also allowing room for enjoyment and laughter. He acknowledges that with the power of words comes a responsibility to share something of substance to impact listeners positively, highlighting the dual role of entertainment and enlightenment in artistic expression.
Themes
CommunicationResponsibilityWordsSubstancePower
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a speech about the importance of impactful communication.
More from Common
All quotes →I am the unarmed black kid who maybe needed a hand, but instead was given a bullet.
CommonRead
As I got to know the people of the Civil Rights Movement, I realized... _x000D_ I am the hopeful black woman who was denied her right to vote. _x000D_ I am the caring white supporter killed on the front lines of freedom. _x000D_ I am the unarmed black kid who maybe needed a hand, but instead was given a bullet. I am the two fallen police officers murdered in the line of duty. 'Selma' has awakened my humanity.
CommonRead
It was incredible to have J Dilla in your dining room making beats - it was one of the greatest experiences I've had.
CommonRead
I look into mother's stomach, wonder if you are a boy or a girl_x000D_ _x000D_ Turnin' this woman's womb into a tomb_x000D_ _x000D_ But she and I agree, a seed we don't need_x000D_ _x000D_ You would've been much more than a mouth to feed_x000D_ _x000D_ But someone I would've fed this information I read_x000D_ _x000D_ To someone my life for you I would've had to leave_x000D_ _x000D_ Instead I led you to death.
CommonRead
Similar quotes
The only thing that guarantees an open-ended collaboration among human beings, the only thing that guarantees that this project is truly open-ended, is a willingness to have our beliefs and behaviors modified by the power of conversation.
Sam HarrisRead
Labeling and diagnosis is a catastrophic way to communicate. Telling other people what's wrong with them greatly reduces, almost to zero, the probability that we're going to get what we're after.
Marshall B. RosenbergRead
Whenever you speak to someone, you are presuming the two of you have a certain degree of familiarity - which your words might alter. So every sentence has to do two things at once: convey a message and continue to negotiate that relationship.
Steven PinkerRead
I speak and speak, [...] but the listener retains only the words he is expecting. [...] It is not the voice that commands the story: it is the ear.
Marco PoloRead
Speech is a very important aspect of being human. A whisper doesn't cut it.
James Earl JonesRead
Talking with a Martian is like talking with an echo. You don't get argument but you don't get results.
Robert A. HeinleinRead