“You can create sense out of nonsense, something out of nothing. You can create wealth out of dearth, viable ventures out of turbulent adventures. You can create mercies out of miseries. You can create tomorrow’s peace out of today’s crisis.”

“He misses the feeling of creating something out of something. That’s right — something out of something. Because something out of nothing is when you make something up out of thin air, in which case it has no value. Anybody can do that. But something out of something means it was really there the whole time, inside you, and you discover it as part of something new, that’s never happened before.”

“A piece of writing is like a piece of magic. You create something out of nothing.”

“Can you create a vacuum out of a human life? A state where everything’s possible but nothing very likely? Does something new emerge when there’s no more empty space?”

“What doesn’t exist you have to create yourself. Even a dream can be plucked out of your head and shaped for a purpose.”

“Hip-hop is a beautiful culture. It's inspirational, because it's a culture of survivors. You can create beauty out of nothingness.”