--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there's one thing that I've learned…" description: "\"If there's one thing that I've learned from both Spike Lee and Tarantino, it's that you can wear your influences on your sleeve but at the same time in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/cheo-hodari-coker-4014_energy_if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-f_867725.jpg" --- # If there's one thing that I've learned from both Spike Lee… ![“If there's one thing that I've learned from both Spike Lee and Tarantino, it's that you can wear your influences on your sleeve but at the same time invoke new energy and new flavor.” quote by Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/cheo-hodari-coker-4014_energy_if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-f_867725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/cheo-hodari-coker-4014_energy_if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-f_867725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/cheo-hodari-coker-4014_energy_if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-f_867725.jpg) > “If there's one thing that I've learned from both Spike Lee and Tarantino, it's that you can wear your influences on your sleeve but at the same time invoke new energy and new flavor.” [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. You can honor your influences while still creating fresh, unique work. **In simple terms:** Blend influences with originality. Key Takeaway Mix inspiration with new ideas. Themes creativity influence originality Mood innovative confident Type creative motivational When to use this quote - music production - film making - writing Key Concepts artistic synthesis cultural remix Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your work stays original? - What new flavors can you add to your influences? A Different Perspective Risk of imitation outweighing innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Influences Sleeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influences-sleeve-918973/) [Lee Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lee-tarantino-918971/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/same/) [Spike lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spike-lee/) [Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tarantino/) [Tarantino Wear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tarantino-wear-918972/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [I try to listen to a lot of music when I'm in the mixing process of a record, when I'm in post-production and trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-reatard/i-try-to-listen-to-a-lot-of-music-when-i-m-in-the-mixing-process-of-a-2/) [Jay Reatard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-reatard/) > [During the writing process, I tend not to listen to too much music. I obviously wear a lot of influences on my sleeve, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-reatard/during-the-writing-process-i-tend-not-to-listen-to-too-much-music-i/) [Jay Reatard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-reatard/) > [With 'Hail To The King' - our last album - we obviously wore our influences on our sleeve, and it was a blatant attempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zacky-vengeance/with-hail-to-the-king-our-last-album-we-obviously-wore-our-influences/) [Zacky Vengeance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zacky-vengeance/) > [Spike Lee is one of my biggest influences. What I love about Spike, other than he's just a fun guy to hang around, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/spike-lee-is-one-of-my-biggest-influences-what-i-love-about-spike/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [I look at the stories that Spike Lee tells... Great stories. Great director, great storyteller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/i-look-at-the-stories-that-spike-lee-tells-great-stories-great/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [Even now, most people call me Joy or Joe Lee or Joey. It's all fine with me. The only time I correct them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joie-lee/even-now-most-people-call-me-joy-or-joe-lee-or-joey-it-s-all-fine/) [Joie Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joie-lee/) > [I'm connected to a Wesley Snipes, and I'm connected to Giancarlo Esposito because of the history of films that we've all been a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-david-washington/i-m-connected-to-a-wesley-snipes-and-i-m-connected-to-giancarlo/) [John David Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-david-washington/) > [I really admire Werner Herzog and Spike Lee. They're amazing documentarians. If you took away all the narratives, they'd just be amazing documentarians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/i-really-admire-werner-herzog-and-spike-lee-they-re-amazing/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [My heroes were people like Jim Jarmusch. Scorsese was my god. Spike Lee was exciting, doing exactly what we thought we were going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-taylor/my-heroes-were-people-like-jim-jarmusch-scorsese-was-my-god-spike-lee/) [Alan Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-taylor/) > [On a Spike Lee set, everybody seems to want to be there and is motivated to work in unison and do the best they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-david-washington/on-a-spike-lee-set-everybody-seems-to-want-to-be-there-and-is/) [John David Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-david-washington/) > [The first black girl book I fell in love with was most likely 'Please, Puppy, Please' by Spike Lee and Tonya Lee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marley-dias/the-first-black-girl-book-i-fell-in-love-with-was-most-likely-please/) [Marley Dias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marley-dias/) > [I didn't really want to be a filmmaker, growing up. Other than Spike Lee's movies, I would think, 'Where is a place for me?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-jenkins/i-didn-t-really-want-to-be-a-filmmaker-growing-up-other-than-spike/) [Barry Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-jenkins/) > [I like movies made by Spike Lee - doing those films out of the U.S., that is really daring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fahadh-faasil/i-like-movies-made-by-spike-lee-doing-those-films-out-of-the-u-s-that/) [Fahadh Faasil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fahadh-faasil/) > [In my opinion, Spike Lee is a national cultural treasure - to the black community in particular but to America in general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-stallworth/in-my-opinion-spike-lee-is-a-national-cultural-treasure-to-the-black/) [Ron Stallworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-stallworth/) > [I'm so from the Woody Allen/Spike Lee school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-night-shyamalan/i-m-so-from-the-woody-allen-spike-lee-school/) [M. Night Shyamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-night-shyamalan/) ## More by Cheo Hodari Coker > [My mom and dad met at U. Conn., and their lives couldn't have been more different in terms of their upbringing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/my-mom-and-dad-met-at-u-conn-and-their-lives-couldn-t-have-been-more/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [ I mean, we should only be talking about the merits of film \["Moonlight"\] because one of the great things about the visual language is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/i-mean-we-should-only-be-talking-about-the-merits-of-film-moonlight/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [Harlem has always been the nexus of music, politics, culture, criminal figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/harlem-has-always-been-the-nexus-of-music-politics-culture-criminal/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [When you're a black superhero, you can't erase the notion that you're black. If you're black, living in the community, and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/when-you-re-a-black-superhero-you-can-t-erase-the-notion-that-you-re/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [I always respected Luke Cage and thought that he was interesting, and I really liked what Brian Michael Bendis did in his update of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/i-always-respected-luke-cage-and-thought-that-he-was-interesting-and/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [Hip hop fans are obsessed, and they're geeks about hip hop. Comic book fans are also geeks, and when you can meld the two,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/hip-hop-fans-are-obsessed-and-they-re-geeks-about-hip-hop-comic-book/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [I wanted Season 2 of Luke Cage to be Ice Cube's 'Death Certificate,' or Fugees' 'The Score,' or Public Enemy's 'It Takes a Nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/i-wanted-season-2-of-luke-cage-to-be-ice-cube-s-death-certificate-or/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [I wanted Luke Cage to very much be an African American superhero rather than a superhero that happens to be black. I felt it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/i-wanted-luke-cage-to-very-much-be-an-african-american-superhero/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [The thing that all police officers decide when they wake up in the morning is that they're going home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/the-thing-that-all-police-officers-decide-when-they-wake-up-in-the/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [It's important to for your kids to see themselves in their superheroes. Really, it's important for all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/it-s-important-to-for-your-kids-to-see-themselves-in-their/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [The Caribbean is such a rich place, and Jamaica, personally, is one of my favorite places in the world. I've been lucky to, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/the-caribbean-is-such-a-rich-place-and-jamaica-personally-is-one-of/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [75%-90% of the murders that occur in black and Latino communities are solvable. Everybody knows who did it or somebody knows. The reason nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/75-90-of-the-murders-that-occur-in-black-and-latino-communities-are/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [Even though I'm not Jamaican, I've always loved Jamaican culture because, to me, it's the island of magic, it's the island of politics, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/even-though-i-m-not-jamaican-i-ve-always-loved-jamaican-culture/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [Fatherhood is something that is personal to me because I didn't grow up around my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/fatherhood-is-something-that-is-personal-to-me-because-i-didn-t-grow/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) > [My era was '90s Carhartt-and-Timberlands hip-hop. That's my rock n' roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/my-era-was-90s-carhartt-and-timberlands-hip-hop-that-s-my-rock-n-roll/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) [Explore all 117 Cheo Hodari Coker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) ## More Energy quotes > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [Performance matters because games are built on great performance, but form factor and energy efficiency matter incredibly because they want to build something that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/performance-matters-because-games-are-built-on-great-performance-but/) [Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/) > [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/) [Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/) > [I'm a vegetarian - I think there's a strong possibility, had I not become a vegetarian, I would not be working now. I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/i-m-a-vegetarian-i-think-there-s-a-strong-possibility-had-i-not/) [Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/) > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/enthusiasm-is-the-yeast-that-makes-your-hopes-shine-to-the-stars/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [I've never even been into those supplements or any of that. I don't even drink energy shakes. I'm not into that kind of stuff.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-ve-never-even-been-into-those-supplements-or-any-of-that-i-don-t/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) [Browse all 12,866 Energy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there's one thing that I've learned from both Spike Lee and Tarantino, it's that you can wear your influences on your sleeve but at the same time invoke new energy and new flavor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cheo Hodari Coker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-from-both-spike-lee-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Energy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-from-both-spike-lee-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/cheo-hodari-coker-4014_energy_if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-f_867725.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/cheo-hodari-coker-4014_energy_if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-f_867725.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99e/cheo-hodari-coker-4014_energy_if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-f_867725.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there's one thing that I've learned from both Spike Lee and Tarantino, it's that you can wear your…” — Cheo Hodari Coker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cheo Hodari Coker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there's one thing that I've...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-from-both-spike-lee-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/if-there-s-one-thing-that-i-ve-learned-from-both-spike-lee-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```