--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Brother Kendrick Lamar: he's not a…" description: "\"Brother Kendrick Lamar: he's not a rapper, he's a writer, he's an author. And if you read between the lines, we'll learn how to love one another. But y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/kendrick-lamar-1241_between-the-lines_brother-kendrick-lamar-he-s-not-a-rapper_101233.jpg" --- # Brother Kendrick Lamar: he's not a rapper, he's a writer… ![“Brother Kendrick Lamar: he's not a rapper, he's a writer, he's an author. And if you read between the lines, we'll learn how to love one another. But you can't do that, I said you can't do that, without loving yourself first.” quote by Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/kendrick-lamar-1241_between-the-lines_brother-kendrick-lamar-he-s-not-a-rapper_101233.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/kendrick-lamar-1241_between-the-lines_brother-kendrick-lamar-he-s-not-a-rapper_101233.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/kendrick-lamar-1241_between-the-lines_brother-kendrick-lamar-he-s-not-a-rapper_101233.jpg) > “Brother Kendrick Lamar: he's not a rapper, he's a writer, he's an author. And if you read between the lines, we'll learn how to love one another. But you can't do that, I said you can't do that, without loving yourself first.” [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Kendrick frames himself as a storyteller whose messages about love require self‑acceptance first; without loving oneself, one cannot truly love others. **In simple terms:** Love others only after loving yourself. Key Takeaway Self‑love precedes genuine love for others. Themes self‑acceptance love personal growth authenticity Mood inspirational introspective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - team building workshops - creative writing Key Concepts psychology of love identity Practical Applications - practice self‑compassion daily - reflect on personal values before extending empathy Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑esteem affect your ability to empathize? - Can love for others help heal self‑neglect? A Different Perspective The claim may oversimplify complex relational dynamics where love can be reciprocal and transformative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Between the lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/between-the-lines/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Brotherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brotherhood/) [How to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how-to-love/) [Love one another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-one-another/) [Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving/) [Loving yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving-yourself/) [Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapper/) [Read between the lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-between-the-lines/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Seduction begins with loving yourself first..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/seduction-begins-with-loving-yourself-first/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Open your world to new love by loving yourself first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/open-your-world-to-new-love-by-loving-yourself-first/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [“How can you love anyone without loving yourself first?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/how-can-you-love-anyone-without-loving-yourself-first/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) > [“If you don't love yourself, you won't be happy with yourself. If you can't love yourself, you can't love anyone else. You can't give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-sogunle/if-you-don-t-love-yourself-you-won-t-be-happy-with-yourself-if-you/) [Kemi Sogunle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-sogunle/) > [“Respect, Love, and Value yourself. Always remember to be good to yourself by taking care of yourself. Make yourself a priority and know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lahart/respect-love-and-value-yourself-always-remember-to-be-good-to/) [Stephanie Lahart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lahart/) > [When I talk to kids, I'm really listening. When I do that, we have a little bit of a bigger connection than me being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/when-i-talk-to-kids-i-m-really-listening-when-i-do-that-we-have-a/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [I'm tryna learn somethin new. I'm tryna find myself, I'm searchin deep for Kendrick Lamar, I read about Napoleon Hill and try to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-m-tryna-learn-somethin-new-i-m-tryna-find-myself-i-m-searchin-deep/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [Kendrick Lamar deserves a Grammy. He's one of the biggest, most influential rappers of my generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid/kendrick-lamar-deserves-a-grammy-he-s-one-of-the-biggest-most/) [Khalid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid/) > [Macklemore gets a Grammy over Kendrick Lamar. I still can't get over that. But again, it's not Macklemore's fault. It's the way of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ato-essandoh/macklemore-gets-a-grammy-over-kendrick-lamar-i-still-can-t-get-over/) [Ato Essandoh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ato-essandoh/) > [I like Kanye and Kendrick Lamar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrann-mathieu/i-like-kanye-and-kendrick-lamar/) [Tyrann Mathieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrann-mathieu/) > [Kendrick Lamar, he has stood up for peace and love in our community. When he could have just stood up for himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-rock/kendrick-lamar-he-has-stood-up-for-peace-and-love-in-our-community/) [Jay Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-rock/) > [I really like Kendrick Lamar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-roe/i-really-like-kendrick-lamar/) [Alex Roe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-roe/) > [When Kendrick Lamar blasts Mr. Trump, he is preaching to the choir. When Eminem does it, there's a good chance Trump voters are actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/when-kendrick-lamar-blasts-mr-trump-he-is-preaching-to-the-choir-when/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [I always come back to Frank Sinatra. Love some modern stuff - Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar - but give me 'Night and Day' or 'In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-henry/i-always-come-back-to-frank-sinatra-love-some-modern-stuff-rihanna/) [Ed Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-henry/) > [I believe Kendrick Lamar is not only an artist but an influencer of an entire generation. He represents Compton with great pride, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aja-brown/i-believe-kendrick-lamar-is-not-only-an-artist-but-an-influencer-of/) [Aja Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aja-brown/) ## More by Kendrick Lamar > [I think that's why I put my energy into making music. That's how I get my thoughts out, instead of being crazy all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-think-that-s-why-i-put-my-energy-into-making-music-that-s-how-i-get/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [ Got in the studio at sixteen, \[and\] that's when I felt like I wanted to make this a career. I had a passion for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/got-in-the-studio-at-sixteen-and-that-s-when-i-felt-like-i-wanted-to/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [Black and brown pride have been taught in my household for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/black-and-brown-pride-have-been-taught-in-my-household-for-a-long-time/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [Everybody has their own way of hearing songs. My fans are usually pretty on point. Sometimes they go all the way to the bottom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/everybody-has-their-own-way-of-hearing-songs-my-fans-are-usually/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [I don't really believe in the type of pressure that people are wanting to put on the type of music that I make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-don-t-really-believe-in-the-type-of-pressure-that-people-are/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [I've got an extra-specific story about Dr. Dre. I saw him when I was 9 years old in Compton - him and Tupac. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-ve-got-an-extra-specific-story-about-dr-dre-i-saw-him-when-i-was-9/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [You can have the platinum album, but when you still feel like you haven't quite found your place in the world - it kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/you-can-have-the-platinum-album-but-when-you-still-feel-like-you/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [You really can't categorize my music, it's human music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/you-really-can-t-categorize-my-music-it-s-human-music/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [My passion is bringing storylines around and constructing a full body of work rather than just a 16-bar verse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/my-passion-is-bringing-storylines-around-and-constructing-a-full-body/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [I'm only as good as my last word, my last hook, my last bridge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-m-only-as-good-as-my-last-word-my-last-hook-my-last-bridge/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [The message I'm sending to myself - I can't change the world until I change myself first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/the-message-i-m-sending-to-myself-i-can-t-change-the-world-until-i/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [We all seem to stumble, planning our own demise, Getting the big picture, and making it wallet-sized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/we-all-seem-to-stumble-planning-our-own-demise-getting-the-big/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [I was raised inside the gang culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-was-raised-inside-the-gang-culture/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [We look so much on color that we forget about the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/we-look-so-much-on-color-that-we-forget-about-the-soul/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [As I've grown as an artist, I've learned that my mission statement is really self-expression. I don't want anybody to classify my music. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/as-i-ve-grown-as-an-artist-i-ve-learned-that-my-mission-statement-is/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) [Explore all 266 Kendrick Lamar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) ## More Between the lines quotes > [I ain't the captain of the yacht, but I'm on the boat; I ain't acting what I'm not, knowing that I don't. You niggaz…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beanie-sigel/i-ain-t-the-captain-of-the-yacht-but-i-m-on-the-boat-i-ain-t-acting/) [Beanie Sigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beanie-sigel/) > [“I sigh. “But if you’d talked to Jules—if she could hear you . . .” My voice trails off. “Then you wouldn’t feel quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-sigh-but-if-you-d-talked-to-jules-if-she-could-hear-you-my-voice/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But I almost think we are all of us ghosts. It is not only what we have inherited from our father and mother that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/but-i-almost-think-we-are-all-of-us-ghosts-it-is-not-only-what-we/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [ “Is it really worth dying for the person you love?” \[Maureen\] thinks about this for a moment. “That’s not the real question, Oliver. What… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/is-it-really-worth-dying-for-the-person-you-love-maureen-thinks-about/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Until the building of Solomon's temple the unity of worship according to it had, properly speaking, never had any existence; and, moreover, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-wellhausen/until-the-building-of-solomon-s-temple-the-unity-of-worship-according/) [Julius Wellhausen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-wellhausen/) > [I've always believed that if you are precise in your thoughts, it's not the lines you say that are important - it's what exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-farmiga/i-ve-always-believed-that-if-you-are-precise-in-your-thoughts-it-s/) [Vera Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-farmiga/) > [Reading is important - read between the lines. Don't swallow everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/reading-is-important-read-between-the-lines-don-t-swallow-everything/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [I'm a spiritual person, I believe that if you read the bible, you get what you want from it. But, when you actually read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/i-m-a-spiritual-person-i-believe-that-if-you-read-the-bible-you-get-2/) [Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/) > [Maybe you saw her first? Caught a glimpse between the lines, between the letters, like a ghost in the mirror, a ghost in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/maybe-you-saw-her-first-caught-a-glimpse-between-the-lines-between/) [Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/) > [The truth is that every true admirer of the novels cherishes the happy thought that he alone - reading between the lines - has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/the-truth-is-that-every-true-admirer-of-the-novels-cherishes-the/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [Our modern ideas of 'functioning' through things are really quite inhuman. We have this idea that no matter what is going on we still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/our-modern-ideas-of-functioning-through-things-are-really-quite/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [For all the idealism that propels him through the story, if you read between the lines you may see that at a moment which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-vance/for-all-the-idealism-that-propels-him-through-the-story-if-you-read/) [James Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-vance/) > [“Love is a tidal wave--not because it sweeps you off your feet, but because it pulls you down and drowns you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult-samantha-van-leer/love-is-a-tidal-wave-not-because-it-sweeps-you-off-your-feet-but/) jodi picoult samantha van leer > [The official name of the project is 'Jewish Museum' but I have named it 'Between the Lines' because for me it is about two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/the-official-name-of-the-project-is-jewish-museum-but-i-have-named-it/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [Readers need to see themselves between the lines of the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kingsbury/readers-need-to-see-themselves-between-the-lines-of-the-story/) [Karen Kingsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kingsbury/) [Browse all 71 Between the lines quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/between-the-lines/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Brother Kendrick Lamar: he's not a rapper, he's a writer, he's an author. 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