"I'm not trying to be new school and I'm not old school - I'm classic. There's a lot of new cars and there's a lot of old cars, but I'm just classic in doing what I do."

"Once the referee throws the ball in the air, it's either your ball or their ball and you have to just take your shot."

"I don't look back. I don't live my life in the rear-view mirror because, if you do, you're bound to end up wrapped around a pole somewhere."

"What is more important than the name is that people know that I really like acting, I enjoy it and I want people to know that I am serious. The name thing: I will always be L.L. Cool J."

"An idea is a delicate seed; water it with curiosity and protect it from cynicism. Such is the immutable nature of understanding."

"To imagine is everything, to know is nothing at all."

"The biggest problem for me was feeling that as I became more balanced and a better man that I wouldn't have the fire to create from."

"In business, the idea of measuring what you are doing, picking the measurements that count like customer satisfaction and performance... you thrive on that."