20 Famous Drake Quotes about Life and Love

You may have heard of and maybe even danced to his hit singles “One Dance” or “Hotline Bling,” or you may recognize him from his days in Degrassi: The Next Generation, or you may have known him from his record-breaking feat of becoming the soloist with the most charted and simultaneously charted Billboard Hot 100 hits as of 2017.

Perhaps one of the greatest music artists of the current generation, the Canadian rapper Drake (born Aubrey Drake Graham) is known for so much more than his fame and fortune, he’s also widely known for his sensitivity and his ability to “rap about soft things and sing about hard things.”

And of course, Drake is also known for his memorable quotes and lyrical poetry.

Here is a compilation of some of Drake’s 20 famous quotes about life and love, which in the grand scope of things is really just the tip of the iceberg.

20 Famous Drake Quotes

Drake Quotes On Life:

1. “The only thing I did to get here was put the work in.” 

There’s no denying the success Drake now enjoys, but there’s also no denying the efforts he put into his dreams, from releasing mixtapes to EPs to full albums one step at a time.

As they say, preparation is half the work, if you’re willing to put in all the hard work then success in your chosen field won’t be too far away.

2. “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.”

And isn’t this the truth? There are times when we feel lost, not knowing how to get to where we want and only relying on that one dream as our compass. Then there are times when we just stumble through life not even knowing where we’re headed.

Maybe you’re already on your way to success; you just don’t know it yet. But if it feels like you’re not, try taking a step back and evaluate the path you’re currently on right now. Drake reminds us that we can learn a lot about where we’re headed through the journey we’re on.

3. “I feel connected to my generation through the music, but I also fear for us. We’re in a very self-destructive state where we’re addicted to outside opinions and we all feel like we have fans.”

As much as it’s all good to get other people’s thoughts on some personal matters, especially people who we trust, overreliance on outside opinions is not a good thing. Words can encourage us but they can just as easily shatter our self-confidence.

Sometimes we care so much about how other people view us that we let it influence our decisions. While it’s good to consult, the decision must ultimately come from you and not entirely based on what other people want to see. Do you know what YOU want? Then go achieve it.

4. “Live without pretending, Love without depending, Listen without defending, Speak without offending.”

This has got to be one of my favorite quotes from Drake, and I’m probably not the only one. These words might appear simple but these words sum up how a person can achieve a good life, if not a great one. And in spite of its simplicity, I’m sure you can understand how hard it is to live it out.

It’s not easy to live without pretending; it’s not easy to love without expecting anything in return; it’s not easy to simply listen to all the hate without being biased for yourself, and it’s definitely not easy to speak up for yourself without coming off as offensive. Still, Drake tells us to not lose ourselves and retain our principles and good upbringing while living our lives.

5. “Get your life shorty. It’s a one-time thing.”

This is another way of saying “You Only Live Once,” a term popularized by Drake, which is to say: live your life without regret.

Life has no re-takes, it has no rehearsals, and it runs without getting any break. If you don’t seize this moment, will you wait until it’s over?

6. “The furthest thing from perfect like everyone I know.”

In the song, Drake talks about how he is the furthest thing from perfect, just like everyone he knows, just like every one of us.

Our lives will always have ups and downs. We are all not perfect. We all make mistakes. That’s what makes us human. But in our quest for perfection, we sometimes forget that.

7. “I was born to make mistakes, not to fake perfection.”

Echoing the sentiments from above, Drake reminds us that it’s okay to make mistakes, who hasn’t? You should not judge yourself based on the mistakes you have made, and most importantly, you should always embrace who you are instead of trying to be who you’re not.

8. “Perfection to me is, I walk away from a situation and say, ‘I did everything I could do right there. There was nothing more that I could do.’ I was a hundred percent like the meter was at the top. There was nothing else I could have done. You know? Like, I worked as hard as I possibly could have. That’s perfection.”

Okay, I may be contradicting myself with this but although we are not and we can never be 100% perfect, we should still try and chase perfection. The difference here, however, would be in that we should go for perfection in the way we define the word for ourselves.

Don’t chase other people’s perfection. Go after your definition of perfection. Word of caution though, keep that definition attainable. If you don’t know how to define what ‘perfection’ is to you, Drake has given us a good benchmark right here.

9. “No matter how dirty your past is, your future is still spotless.”

And while we’re still on the matter of making mistakes, Drake tells us that just because you made a wrong turn in your life before doesn’t mean you can’t turn that around today.

The future is uncertain. Now normally, such words will give a sense of apprehension but the mere fact that no one knows what will happen in the future means that you have the choice to not let your ‘dirty past’ stop you from grabbing a hold of a bright future.

10. “Life is like a confused teacher… first she gives the test and then teaches the lesson.”

It may seem funny but this quote from Drake definitely hit the mark. We always learn more with experience, and even in the worst moments of our lives we get to reflect and learn. Unlike our teachers who first taught us their knowledge before testing our understanding, life teaches us the hard way.

Life doesn’t come with a module. All lectures are done hands-on while life throws us challenge after challenge, daring us to decide, leaving us to figure out if our decision was right or wrong, all the while teaching wisdom in the process, only, whether you learn anything or not would be up to you.

Drake Quotes On Love

11. “Cause the truth hurts and those lies heal.” 

We’ve often heard of the first part of this line, ‘truth hurts’ and in most instances, especially with matters of the heart, it really does. Have you ever thought of what would hurt more than being lied to and cheated on behind your back? Knowing the truth as you’re betrayed the exact same way in your face.

But this is where the second part of Drake’s lyrics gives us hope that ‘those lies heal.’ It may not be easy getting over someone who you loved but may have just strung you along and doesn’t love you, but like all wounds, they will close and heal. Who knows, maybe all you need is someone to truly take care of you.

12. “Patience is key for getting over a breakup. That, and trailing off your interaction after the breakup.”

Going through a break up is never easy. Not everyone can be like other people who may seem to get over a breakup in the blink of an eye. As Drake said, it requires patience and discipline.

If you’re fresh out of a relationship, don’t rush into a new one just yet. Take your time and let time work its magic as it heals your broken heart, at least to the extent that it’s capable to love again.

Self-discipline is also important so that you won’t run straight back to him at the first sign of loneliness or accept him back for no rhyme or reason other than he called and he said he wanted you back with no other explanation given.

13. “You don’t even have to ask twice, you could have my heart or we could share it like the last slice.”

Drake shows the romantic in him with these words telling the girl he’s singing this song to that he’s willing to share his heart with her. I think the key here is that when you are in love, both of you should be like Drake, ready and willing to share your hearts with each other.

14. “All in all I learned a lesson from it though. You never see it coming you just get to see it go.”

What better way to describe another side of love? Some forms of love are just like this, it comes unexpectedly and leaves just as suddenly. Still, that does not mean you did not love, and it also doesn’t mean that it was meaningless because some lessons from life can only be learned through heartbreaks.

15. “I know they say the first love is the sweetest. But that first cut is the deepest.”

Most times, our first experience with love also ends up as our first experience with broken hearts. Just as much as your first love is memorable for being the first person who made your heart pound along with all the sweet memories you both made, the heartbreak that follows that is also the one that cuts the deepest.

It may not be the one that will hurt the most, but it will most definitely be one that you will remember for a long time, but the pain you bear will make you stronger and wiser. And like all things, this hurt will also pass, leaving only a dull heartache until sooner or later you’ll be able to look back on it with fondness.

16. “Over time you realize that some people just aren’t worth it anymore.”

You may want to keep each and every relationship you’ve made precious, and you may not be willing to cut ties with them.

But like Drake said, there are, and there will be, situations where there won’t really be any other way to salvage the past relationship and instead of both of you hurting and unable to move on, it would be better to just sever the ties you have with them.

Instead of staying in a toxic relationship, it’s okay to have the courage to leave.

17. “Don’t lie to the girl of your life for the hoe of the night.”

This quote speaks of commitment, and it goes both ways. Before you go home with that boy or girl you’ve only met for the night, think first of the person you’re currently in a relationship with.

Even if you’ve fallen out of love with your current partner but haven’t broken off the relationship, at least have the decency to break up with them instead of lying to them before leaving.

And if you claim to love your partner but you are still tempted, then think first of how your significant other would feel about what you’re about to do. If the situation is reversed, how would you feel? If you don’t like how it feels to be cheated on, chances are your partner won’t as well.

18. “I need you to rescue me from my destiny, I’m tryna live right and give you whatever’s left of me.”

Two wrongs do not make a right, but consecutive wrongs would make one feel like she’s destined for failure. If the previous quote was about commitment, this one is about determination. The beauty of this lyric is connected to #9 on this list.

Drake’s words speak about how if you find someone worth it, no matter how many mistakes you made in the past or how much of a failure you thought you’d be, you would go and change that. You will do everything you can so that you will be able to right your wrongs and be able to live a life deserving of that person.

19. “I’d rather tell you how I really feel.”

In love, like life in general, being truthful is not always easy. It is instead easier to speak of lies and promises that one can’t keep.

This is why I feel that this quote from Drake is precious simply because he is not afraid to tell anyone, not his fans nor his haters, how he feels, whether it’s through his music or through his words. This truthfulness and openness should really be practiced especially by those in a loving relationship.

20. “Smile more than you cry, give more than you take, and love more than you hate.”

This quote is not just for those going through heartbreak; it also goes out to everyone who is suffering right now. We all come across heartbreaks in different forms, not just between two lovers; it could also be due to disappointment from a family member or perhaps a loss of a job.

Still, instead of showing the world how cruel and hard it is, why not follow Drake’s advice and show the world a smile? Shower them with love and give them kindness more than what you have received.

It might not get you back together with your ex, it may not remove the disappointment in your heart and it may not help you get your job back, but at the very least you’ve shown the world that you can still get back up and stand, that you’re not done yet.

Conclusion

Life is a continuous struggle, and just like the title of Drake’s EP, our lives still have room for improvement.

Instead of getting trapped in our misdemeanors of the past, we should look forward and embrace life and love. Never lose track of your goal and be prepared to put in the hard work, whether that’s for life and/or love.

image credit: George Pimentel/Getty Images