--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't control what people think. I'm…" description: "\"I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to manipulate people's thoughts or sentiments. I write all the time. You have to experience life, mak..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/mos-def-3481_ambition_i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-no_3067435.png" --- # I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to… ![“I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to manipulate people's thoughts or sentiments. I write all the time. You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. It's machine-like how things are run now in hip-hop, and my ambitions are different.” quote by Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/mos-def-3481_ambition_i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-no_3067435.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/mos-def-3481_ambition_i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-no_3067435.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/mos-def-3481_ambition_i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-no_3067435.png) > “I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to manipulate people's thoughts or sentiments. I write all the time. You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. It's machine-like how things are run now in hip-hop, and my ambitions are different.” [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights the importance of personal experience, observation, and questioning over trying to control others' thoughts. **In simple terms:** Live, observe, ask; don’t manipulate. Key Takeaway Engage with life directly, not through manipulation. Themes autonomy observation questioning Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative work - hip‑hop culture - personal development Key Concepts critical thinking self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance expression and influence? - What questions guide your observations? A Different Perspective Control over others’ thoughts is unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Ask questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-questions/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Experience Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-life/) [Hip hop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hip-hop/) [Hips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hips/) [Hops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hops/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Manipulate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulate/) [My ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-ambition/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-think/) [People Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-thoughts-311781/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments/) [Sentiments Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments-write-5173485/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) [Thoughts Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-sentiments-3994177/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Turn back the past so you will know the unspoken thoughts or sentiments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-delos-santos/turn-back-the-past-so-you-will-know-the-unspoken-thoughts-or/) [Tracy Delos Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-delos-santos/) > [You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/you-have-to-experience-life-make-observations-and-ask-questions/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I love when I work with a director and I'm like, 'You have a sense of what you want. You know your vision. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayo-edebiri/i-love-when-i-work-with-a-director-and-i-m-like-you-have-a-sense-of/) [Ayo Edebiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayo-edebiri/) > [I am startled when people are themselves and are not my thoughts of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/i-am-startled-when-people-are-themselves-and-are-not-my-thoughts-of/) [Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/) > [“The non-stop music wrapped a warm cocoon around her body. People's thoughts, rapid words flowed around her, without doing her any harm. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-g-le-cl-zio/the-non-stop-music-wrapped-a-warm-cocoon-around-her-body-people-s/) [J.M.G. Le Clézio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-g-le-cl-zio/) > [“The difference between people are their thoughts. Always use your thoughts to better your life & brighten our world!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/the-difference-between-people-are-their-thoughts-always-use-your/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [“Dream is the result of your thoughts and actions, but most people only have the thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/traven-luc/dream-is-the-result-of-your-thoughts-and-actions-but-most-people-only/) [Traven Luc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/traven-luc/) > [So many people have the TV or radio constantly turned on “for company,” or spend their time reading trashy novels, aimlessly surfing the Net,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kingston/so-many-people-have-the-tv-or-radio-constantly-turned-on-for-company/) [Karen Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kingston/) > [I do music to tell people my thoughts and opinions about life, emotions, politics, everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-clementine/i-do-music-to-tell-people-my-thoughts-and-opinions-about-life/) [Benjamin Clementine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-clementine/) > [My mother finally took me to a child psychologist, who knew exactly what I was, but she just couldn’t accept it and kept trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/my-mother-finally-took-me-to-a-child-psychologist-who-knew-exactly/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“I want to see children curled up with books, finding an awareness of themselves as they discover other people's thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-reilly-giff/i-want-to-see-children-curled-up-with-books-finding-an-awareness-of/) [Patricia Reilly Giff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-reilly-giff/) > [People who have thoughts like mine can never go back. They can never be like regular people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amira-prison/people-who-have-thoughts-like-mine-can-never-go-back-they-can-never/) [Amira Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amira-prison/) > [Because people are more than emotions. People have thoughts and reasons for doing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/because-people-are-more-than-emotions-people-have-thoughts-and/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) > [“A spring never free from the pressure of some foreign body at last loses its elasticity; and so does the mind if other people’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/a-spring-never-free-from-the-pressure-of-some-foreign-body-at-last/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [There's a lot of social input when you put these things out there. People's ideas cross with other people's thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biz-stone/there-s-a-lot-of-social-input-when-you-put-these-things-out-there/) [Biz Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biz-stone/) ## More by Mos Def > [I have mad brims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-have-mad-brims/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [And from the moment that I saw you, I knew you was trouble, But I disregarded detour signs, And did not stop til you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/and-from-the-moment-that-i-saw-you-i-knew-you-was-trouble-but-i/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [But even creeps deserve to live someplace halfway decent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/but-even-creeps-deserve-to-live-someplace-halfway-decent/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [If you're going to do Chuck Berry, you got to, you know, go all out, and the duck walk is just kind of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/if-you-re-going-to-do-chuck-berry-you-got-to-you-know-go-all-out-and/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [The ability to have somebody read something and see it, or for somebody to paint an entire landscape of visual imagery with just sheets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/the-ability-to-have-somebody-read-something-and-see-it-or-for/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I'm growing as an individual, but your always growing. All of my albums are snapshots of where I am artistically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-m-growing-as-an-individual-but-your-always-growing-all-of-my-albums/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I don't want to waste anyone's time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-don-t-want-to-waste-anyone-s-time-or-money-i-want-to-give-people/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [Man, I smashed her like an Idaho Potato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/man-i-smashed-her-like-an-idaho-potato/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I'm blacked than midnight on Broadway and Myrtle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-m-blacked-than-midnight-on-broadway-and-myrtle/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I'm not shy about heated debate or passionate discourse, but when people get crazy or rude, that's a buzz kill. There's got to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-m-not-shy-about-heated-debate-or-passionate-discourse-but-when/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I was taught when there's somethin' you can change around keep quiet, you got nothin' to complain about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-was-taught-when-there-s-somethin-you-can-change-around-keep-quiet/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I don't hate nobody. I hate certain conditions that are inflicted upon the people - and they're helpless with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-don-t-hate-nobody-i-hate-certain-conditions-that-are-inflicted-upon/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [It’s one thing to be the greatest; it’s another thing to be necessary. The best are the most necessary: those who take less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/it-s-one-thing-to-be-the-greatest-it-s-another-thing-to-be-necessary/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [We can be beautiful and feel beautiful about who we are everyday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/we-can-be-beautiful-and-feel-beautiful-about-who-we-are-everyday/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [Fame is like getting across the street. It's like, if there's nothing to be across the street for, it's a pointless destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/fame-is-like-getting-across-the-street-it-s-like-if-there-s-nothing/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) [Explore all 129 Mos Def quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to manipulate people's thoughts or sentiments. I write all the time. You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. It's machine-like how things are run now in hip-hop, and my ambitions are different.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mos Def" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-not-trying-to-manipulate-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-not-trying-to-manipulate-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/mos-def-3481_ambition_i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-no_3067435.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/mos-def-3481_ambition_i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-no_3067435.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/mos-def-3481_ambition_i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-no_3067435.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to manipulate people's thoughts or sentiments. I write all…” — Mos Def", "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": "Mos Def", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can't control what people think....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-not-trying-to-manipulate-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-can-t-control-what-people-think-i-m-not-trying-to-manipulate-people/#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 } } ] } ```