--- 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/26c/mos-def-3481_built_mos-def-is-a-name-that-i-built-and-culti_796597.jpg" --- # 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, and I feel I've done quite a bit with that name. [But] it's time to expand and move on.” quote by Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26c/mos-def-3481_built_mos-def-is-a-name-that-i-built-and-culti_796597.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26c/mos-def-3481_built_mos-def-is-a-name-that-i-built-and-culti_796597.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26c/mos-def-3481_built_mos-def-is-a-name-that-i-built-and-culti_796597.jpg) > “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, and I feel I've done quite a bit with that name. \[But\] it's time to expand and move on.” [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 reflects on his artistic identity shaped by his environment and signals a desire to evolve beyond it. **In simple terms:** He wants to grow beyond his current persona. Key Takeaway Embrace change and expand your horizons. Themes identity growth culture career evolution Mood reflective determined Type personal development inspirational When to use this quote - music career - public speaking - personal branding - creative projects Key Concepts self‑construction authenticity legacy Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor your roots while reinventing yourself? - What new directions excite you most? A Different Perspective Risk of losing core audience when changing identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Built Cultivated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built-cultivated-4408869/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Cultivated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivated/) [Cultivated Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivated-years-4408870/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Def Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/def-built-4408868/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Figures of speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures-of-speech/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Streets Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets-taught-1596617/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## 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-2/) [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/) > [Originally, the atoms of carbon from which we're made were floating in the air, part of a carbon dioxide molecule. The only way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/originally-the-atoms-of-carbon-from-which-we-re-made-were-floating-in/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [But that wasn't fancy enough for Lord Byron, oh dear me no, he had to invent a lot of figures of speech and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/but-that-wasn-t-fancy-enough-for-lord-byron-oh-dear-me-no-he-had-to/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [To invoke a Kierkegaardesque figure of speech, the beauty of the language of the Bible can be like a set of dentist's instruments nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaroslav-pelikan/to-invoke-a-kierkegaardesque-figure-of-speech-the-beauty-of-the/) [Jaroslav Pelikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaroslav-pelikan/) > [“We have to look at the figures of speech a writer uses, his images and symbols, to realize that underneath all the complexity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/we-have-to-look-at-the-figures-of-speech-a-writer-uses-his-images-and/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [Writing for me is a dragnet that carries everything away with it: expressions and figures of speech, postures, feelings, thoughts, troubles. In short, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-ferrante/writing-for-me-is-a-dragnet-that-carries-everything-away-with-it/) [Elena Ferrante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-ferrante/) > [Silence is a figure of speech, unanswerable, short, cold, but terribly severe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/silence-is-a-figure-of-speech-unanswerable-short-cold-but-terribly/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [“It will not, however, affect one tiny bit the question of whether the text has a literal meaning because—mark this—every biblical text has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shea/it-will-not-however-affect-one-tiny-bit-the-question-of-whether-the/) [Mark Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shea/) > [A preacher must have some intelligence to charm the people by his florid style, by his exhilarating system of morality, by the repetition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-preacher-must-have-some-intelligence-to-charm-the-people-by-his/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [“Dou comigo a pensar se figuras de estilo não serão, afinal, as silhuetas dos corpos humanos que tão ardentemente desejamos ou abominamos. I find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-eust-quio/dou-comigo-a-pensar-se-figuras-de-estilo-n-o-ser-o-afinal-as/) [Victor Eustáquio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-eust-quio/) > [Irony is Fate's most common figure of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevanian/irony-is-fate-s-most-common-figure-of-speech/) [Trevanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevanian/) > [“No. See, when you throw up you're vomiting, but when you throw down you're starting a fight, as in throwing down the gauntlet." "Ohhhh,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/no-see-when-you-throw-up-you-re-vomiting-but-when-you-throw-down-you/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [Anderson sent me to give you this he said. I believe the subtext was kiss and makeup. This time I was sure I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-black/anderson-sent-me-to-give-you-this-he-said-i-believe-the-subtext-was/) [Jenna Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-black/) ## 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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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, and I feel I've done quite a bit with that name. 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