--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mos Def is a name that I built and…" description: "\"Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years. It's a name that the streets taught me, a figure of speech that was given to me by the cu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/mos-def-3481_built_mos-def-is-a-name-that-i-built-and-culti_2944890.png" --- # Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the… ![“Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years. It's a name that the streets taught me, a figure of speech that was given to me by the culture and by my environment.” quote by Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/mos-def-3481_built_mos-def-is-a-name-that-i-built-and-culti_2944890.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/mos-def-3481_built_mos-def-is-a-name-that-i-built-and-culti_2944890.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/mos-def-3481_built_mos-def-is-a-name-that-i-built-and-culti_2944890.png) > “Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years. It's a name that the streets taught me, a figure of speech that was given to me by the culture and by my environment.” [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. He describes his stage name as a product of personal growth and cultural influence, shaped by street teachings and environment. **In simple terms:** His name reflects his personal and cultural journey. Key Takeaway Embrace and shape your identity. Themes identity culture self‑development Mood reflective determined proud Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - career building - public speaking - personal branding - cultural expression - self‑reflection Key Concepts personal branding street culture environmental influence Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment shape your self‑image? - What aspects of your identity are self‑chosen? A Different Perspective Names can limit perception if overly tied to past image. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) ## Related quotes > [Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years, it's a name that the streets taught me, a figure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/mos-def-is-a-name-that-i-built-and-cultivated-over-the-years-it-s-a/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [You simply can't get inside the heads of other people and say to them, 'Look, I went through some rough times.' It's impossible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-tevez/you-simply-can-t-get-inside-the-heads-of-other-people-and-say-to-them/) [Carlos Tevez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-tevez/) > [My whole life in the streets, I was taught not to answer questions and just keep my mouth shut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giggs/my-whole-life-in-the-streets-i-was-taught-not-to-answer-questions-and/) [Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giggs/) > [Thanh Hoa itself is a rich agricultural province. Rice fields, a pattern of many shades of green, stretch far into the distance along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/thanh-hoa-itself-is-a-rich-agricultural-province-rice-fields-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [On some level, acting is the art of pretend, and you have to have a highly cultivated sense of imagination. You have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-lang/on-some-level-acting-is-the-art-of-pretend-and-you-have-to-have-a/) [Stephen Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-lang/) > [Fashion was in a crisis up until the mid-'90s and, when it came out of the crisis, it was a very different place. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/fashion-was-in-a-crisis-up-until-the-mid-90s-and-when-it-came-out-of/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [A cultivated style would be like a mask. Everybody knows it's a mask, and sooner or later you must show yourself -- or at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/a-cultivated-style-would-be-like-a-mask-everybody-knows-it-s-a-mask/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [Cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirabeau-b-lamar/cultivated-mind-is-the-guardian-genius-of-democracy/) Mirabeau B. Lamar > [All good qualities must be sown and cultivated. We can’t expect to change overnight from an ordinary person into one with high realizations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/all-good-qualities-must-be-sown-and-cultivated-we-can-t-expect-to/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [What is honored in a country will be cultivated there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/what-is-honored-in-a-country-will-be-cultivated-there/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [That person is most cultivated who is able to put himself in the place of the greatest number of other persons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/that-person-is-most-cultivated-who-is-able-to-put-himself-in-the/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [It's not that I am not emotional, but I am extremely secure and curb it, as I am afraid to let go and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranbir-kapoor/it-s-not-that-i-am-not-emotional-but-i-am-extremely-secure-and-curb/) [Ranbir Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranbir-kapoor/) > [My grandmother had six kids - one died as an infant - and she was dirt-poor, and all her kids got an education. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-alibar/my-grandmother-had-six-kids-one-died-as-an-infant-and-she-was-dirt/) [Lucy Alibar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-alibar/) > [America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free. We sent a generation to college. We cultivated the most educated workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-thrived-in-the-20th-century-because-we-made-high-school-free/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Mine was, as it were, the connecting link between wild and cultivated fields; as some states are civilized, and others half-civilized, and others savage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/mine-was-as-it-were-the-connecting-link-between-wild-and-cultivated/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## 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 Built quotes > [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [Call me the rap assassinator / rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/call-me-the-rap-assassinator-rhymes-rugged-and-built-like/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [God and I have built an immense fire together. We keep each other happy and warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/god-and-i-have-built-an-immense-fire-together-we-keep-each-other/) [Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/) > [When we built Roomba, we explicitly designed it to not have a face. We didn't want to think it was cute; we wanted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/when-we-built-roomba-we-explicitly-designed-it-to-not-have-a-face-we/) [Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Mostly what I'm focused on is finding people who are younger who haven't built companies before but have a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/mostly-what-i-m-focused-on-is-finding-people-who-are-younger-who/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) > [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 3,164 Built quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years. 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