20 Hustle & Flow Quotes on One’s Dreams and Perseverance

Buckle up and ready yourself for a stream of meaningful lessons as you read these Hustle & Flow quotes!

Craig Brewer’s Hustle & Flow tells the story of a Memphis pimp named DJay, who dreams of being a rapper. It follows his struggles against the realities of his life—the death of his mother and his inability to find employment. But, despite everything, he remains steadfast in his determination to succeed.

It might show some discouraging scenes as Hustle & Flow zooms in on DJay’s journey from being a street hustler to a rapper. However, it will also give you a sense of determination and a better understanding of the importance of perseverance.

This is because DJay went against all odds and continued to work hard and dream big.

If you also need some inspiration and words of encouragement, we’ve got you covered with the best Hustle & Flow quotes. Read through this list and get a better glimpse of what we have in store for you!

Let’s start.

And don’t forget to check out these Training Day quotes and Malibu’s Most Wanted quotes.

Best Hustle & Flow Quotes

1. “Just because you got the bacon, lettuce, and tomato don’t mean I’m gonna give you my toast.” – Key

2. “Everybody got to have a dream.” – DJay

3. “Sometimes I feel like—like I talked such a good game when we were young, man. About my own studio and my own label, that sh*t, DJay, now I’m just payin’ rent, man. This sh*t right here gotta work. It gotta work, man, ’cause it ain’t over for me.” – Key

4. “There are two types of people: those that talk the talk and those that walk the walk. People who walk the walk sometimes talk the talk, but most times they don’t talk at all, ’cause they walkin’. Now, people who talk the talk, when it comes time for them to walk the walk, you know what they do? They talk people like me into walkin’ for them.” – Key

5. “It means we got our hands on the wheel. We in charge.” – DJay 

6. “See, man ain’t like a dog. And when I say ‘man,’ I’m talking about man as in mankind, not man as in men. Because men, well, we are a lot like a dog. You know, we like to piss on things. Sniff a b*tch when we can. Even get a little pink hard-on the way they do. We are territorial as sh*t, you know, we gonna protect our own. But man, he knows about death. Got him a sense of history. Got religion. See, a dog, man, a dog don’t know sh*t about no birthdays or Christmas or Easter bunny, none of that sh*t. And one day, God is gonna come calling, so you know, they are going through life carefree. But people like you and me, man, we are always guessing. Wondering, ‘What if?’ you know what I mean? So when you say to me, ‘Hey, I don’t think we should be doing this,’ I gotta say, baby, I don’t think we should be doing this neither, but we ain’t gonna get no move on in this world, lying around in the sun, licking our *ss all day. I mean, we man. I mean, you are a woman and all, but we are men. So with this said, you tell me what it is you wanna do with your life.” – DJay

7. DJay: “You in charge. Say it.”

Nola: “I’m in charge.”

DJay: “Say it like you mean it.”

Nola: “I’m in charge.”

8. DJay: “That’s a bottom b*tch for you. I mean, we got everything we need right here. And all this stuff in this—this little bitty space, man, it just looks so much bigger now. I’m here trying to squeeze a dollar out of a dime, and I ain’t even got a cent, man.”

Key: “It takes time, DJay.”

9. “I get like this because I’m pregnant and everything—but, you know, letting me sing on the—on the demo and everything like you do—well, it just—it made me feel real. Real special. And I mean, I know y’all gonna be moving on and moving up, and y’all gonna get real good people to sing, you know, back up for you and everything, but I just—D, I need you to know it meant the world to me.” – Shug

Iconic Hustle & Flow Quotes to Pique Your Interest

10. “Push that sh*t out.” – DJay

11. Skinny Black: “You stand by your product?”

DJay: “Is a pig’s p*ssy pork?”

12. “D, I can tell when you’re messing with my head because I let you, because sometimes my head needs to be messed with. But right now, just don’t. Okay?” – Nola

13. DJay: “Who’s this nigga?”

Key: “That’s Shelby. He plays piano in my church. I thought he could help us develop your sound.”

DJay: “You know he’s White, right?”

Key: “Naw, he just light-skinned.”

14. Shelby: “If you had to say something different other than ‘Beat that b*tch,’ what would it be?”

DJay: “I don’t know. Sh*t. Stuff like, um—stomp that ho?”

15. Nola: “Do you know what I do in the back of them cars? Do you? Everybody’s got something to do, everybody’s got something important going on in their lives but me, D! And I want something!”

DJay: “What do you want?”

Nola: “I don’t really know, but I want something.”

DJay: “What do you want?”

Nola: “I don’t know.”

DJay: “Tell me what the f*ck you wanna do, man!”

Nola: “Not this, D!”

16. “If I can pimp $20 ho’s out the back of this motherf*ucking Chevy, I can pimp Skinny.” – DJay 

17. Nola: “Everyone tells me my hair is sexy.”

Lexus: “And then they nut.”

More Hustle & Flow Quotes for Fans of the Movie

18. “You wanna know what I’m feeling? I’m thrilled! Okay, thrilled. What woman wouldn’t want her husband spending all day in a house full of hoes?” – Yevette

19. “You hear that? That’s my gut saying, ‘Hurry the f*ck up,’ okay?” – DJay 

20. “You Mormons are some brave motherf*ckers.” – DJay 

Did These Hustle & Flow Quotes Influence You to Work Hard for Your Dreams?

When pursuing a dream, it’s easy to feel like you’ll never get there. You might feel like your circumstances are holding you back or that the world doesn’t want what you have to offer. But, the truth is, there are always people who believe in your abilities and want to help you achieve your goals.

In Hustle & Flow, DJay grew up in a neighborhood where drug dealers and pimps are on every corner. He badly wants to leave this life behind for good, but he needs money in order to do so. To raise funds, he works dead-end jobs that don’t pay enough, which causes him to fall back into the same cycle that keeps him from achieving his dreams.

For this reason, DJay knew that to get ahead in life, he needed to work hard to succeed. After all, he didn’t have a safety net like others. So, he did just that—he worked hard every day and never stopped striving for success.

He hit rock bottom and saw no apparent way out. However, as some of the lyrics from the title track go, “It ain’t over for me.” It’s an affirmation and a source of hope that one defeat isn’t the end; if he’s determined, all will be well someday.

With all this being said, we hope that we were able to inspire you through this list of Hustle & Flow quotes. Let’s all remember what we’ve learned from DJay and strive for our dreams. Keep working hard toward your goals no matter how difficult your situation may seem!

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.