Down With The King

"I'm takin' the tours, I'm wreckin' the land
I keep it hardcore because it's dope man
these are the roughest toughest words I ever wrote down
not mean for a hoe like a slow jam, check it
sucka emcees could never swing with D
because of all the things that I bring with me
only G-O-D could be a king to me
and if the G-O-D be in me, then the king I be
the microphone is granted when it's handed to me
I was planted on this planet and I plan to emcee
the emcee fiends only seem to agree
that I rock all the world and the society
I rages on the stages with a tune of verse
I get praises from these pages to the universe
my voice is raw, my lyrics is law
I keep it hardcore like you never saw."

- Run-DMC, the title track from the album "Down With the King"

I love this verse. DMC totally wrecks it. Awesome lyrics and a great delivery. Great job!

This is my favourite group of all-time. If you want to check out my autograph collection, head on over to Silent Cacophony and check out the door poster I had these guys autograph back in 1994.

Battles Teach

"All battles in life serve to teach us something, even the battles we lose." 

- Paulo Coelho The Fifth Mountain 

Happy Monday Everyone!

Head on over to my main blog Silent Cacophony to find out why I highly recommend Paulo Coelho's excellent book The Alchemist. 

In the meantime, remember that this quote is not about war. We have personal battles every single day. We win some, we lose some, but each battle has the power to teach us something important. 

Sharing is Human

"Since the dawn of time, human beings have felt the need to share – from food to art. Sharing is part of the human condition. A person who does not share is not only selfish, but bitter and alone.” 

- Paulo Coelho

I snagged this quote from a blog article that interested me on Twitter this morning. 

Check out the article if you want to 

http://blog.thoughtpick.com/2009/07/paulo-coelho-knows-how-to-use-social-media-better.html 

I really like Coelho. He is an amazing author who always has something to say.

Story Plays to the Universal Desire

"Curiosity is the intellectual need to answer questions and close open patterns. Story plays to the universal desire by doing the opposite, posing questions and opening situations."

- Robert McKee. Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principals of Screenwriting. ReganBooks: New York, 1997. pg 346

Gangster Rap Made Me Do It

Beware: Explicit lyrics in this video and post.

Blame the music. It's an easy scapegoat. But don't forget that you have a brain in your head. You can make your own decisions and are responsible for your actions. Now, let Ice Cube speak.

"Thank God when I bless the mic
You finally get to hear the sh*t that you like
A n*gga talking bout real life
so you can try to get this sh*t right
Use your brain not your back use your brain not a gat
It's a party not a jack
Don't be scared of them people
Walk up in there and show them that you equal
and don't be material
a n*gga grew up on milk and cereal
I never forgot Vaness and Imperial
Look at my life, Ice Cube is a miracle
It could be you if you was this lyrical
It could be her if she was this spiritual
Because me and Allah go back like cronies
I don't got to be fake because he is my homie"

- Ice Cube "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" from the album "Raw Footage"

The Dividing Line of Sex

"There's this dividing line between girls who have had sex, and girls who haven't. And all of a sudden you realize you're looking at each other across it."

- Angela on an episode of My So-Called Life

I used to hate that dividing line. It always felt awkward for some reason. It shouldn't have. People shouldn't feel pressured or rushed. That's my advice for today. Take it as you may.

Habits Make the Difference

"In truth, the only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits."

- Og Mandino

This is just one of the great quotes that Deb Austin Brown list in her "443 Character Quotes and Words of Wisdom" from her excellent book Growing Character: 99 Successful Strategies for the Elementary Classroom.