40 Laws of Tupac - Tupac died 16 years ago today, September 13. But his legacy lives on, and not just through his music — he also left us with countless deep writings, timeless quotes and mini-philosophies that give a deeper look into the man behind the legend. Here, inspired by the 48 Laws of Power, BET.com combed through Shakur's music, interviews and videos to assemble the 40 laws that Pac lived by. Read on and stay strong. (Photo: Interscope Records)
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Law 1 - “Being humble is sexy.”— Interview with Tabitha Soren(Photo: By Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Image)
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Law 2 - “I’m not a threat, unless you’re a threat to me.”—1994 Interview with Ed Gordon
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Law 3 - “Cheer for me for what I’m doing, for what I stand for.”—1994 Interview with Ed Gordon
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Law 4\r - “Everybody need a little help on their way to being self-reliant.”—1992 MTV Interview\r \r \r(Photo: By Ke.Mazur/WireImage)
Ke.Mazur/WireImage
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Law 5\r\r - “You have to come up. Everything is a come up, everything is a struggle. You start from the bottom and work it to the top.”—1994 Interview with Ed Gordon\r \r \r(Photo: By Chi Modu)
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Law 6\r - “I think when there’s hopelessness, people revolt.”-- 1992 MTV Interview\r \r(Photo: By Ron Galella/WireImage)
Ron Galella/WireImage
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Law 7\r - “Everything I do, I do to represent my people.”—1994 Interview with Ed Gordon\r \r \r(Photo: By Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Law 8\r\r - “Everybody’s getting pimped; whether you work a nine to five or whether you work for yourself, you gettin’ pimped by somebody. That’s not the crime. The crime is how long you allow yourself to get pimped.”—1994 Interview with Ed Gordon\r \r(Photo: By POOL New / Reuters)
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Law 9 - “There’s nothing criminal about bearing arms. Nothing.”— 1994 Interview with Ed Gordon
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Law 10 - “If I can’t live free, if I can’t live with the same respect as the next man, I don’t wanna be here.”—1994 Interview with Ed Gordon
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Law 11 - “You can do something, and if it’s good enough, people will remember you.”— “Reflections”
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Law 12 - “I have to make the life that I do live as happy as I can, and try to do best with what I have.”— Oppressive Life Internet video
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Law 13 - "Down to die for everything I represent.”—“Letter to the President”
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Law 14\r - “The reason I am who I am today is because I can look directly into my face and find my soul.”—Soul Interview (YouTube)
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Law 15\r - “All of our gifts and blessings, and our strengths and our weaknesses come from God.”—Soul Interview (Youtube)
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Law 16\r - "Either we stay like this, or somebody sacrifices.”— (YouTube video)
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Law 17\r - “I don’t wanna burn out, I wanna be forever, eternal.”— Rare Interview (YouTube)
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Law 18\r - "When I’m gone, I want my name to be here.”—Rare Interview (YouTube)
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Law 19\r - “There’s no need for you to fear me/If you take your time to hear me, maybe you can learn to cheer me.”—“Ghetto Gospel”
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Law 20\r - “Don’t ever change, keep your essence/The power is in the people.…”—“Look Into My Eyes”
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Law 21\r - “Before we find world peace/We gotta find peace and end the war in the streets.”—“Ghetto Gospel”
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Law 22\r - “Always do your best, don’t let the pressure make you panic.”—“Look Into My Eyes”
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Law 23 - “We’re all human beings, we’re all susceptible to our own weaknesses.”—“Look Into My Eyes”
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Law 24 - “Use your brain! Use your brain!”—“White Man’s World”
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Law 25\r - “It’s so easy to regret things after they’re done.”—“The Good Die Young”
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Law 26\r - “If he give you the voltage and you waste it, that’s the curse.”—Soul Interview (YouTube)
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Law 27\r - “I just wanna be somebody that my moms can be proud of, somebody that another Black person my age can be proud of, somebody that…my kids can be proud of.”—Rare Interview (YouTube)
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Law 28\r - "Never forget that God isn’t finished with me yet.”—“Ghetto Gospel”\r \r(Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar /Landov)
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Law 29\r - “Black Power”—“Only God Can Judge Me”\r \r \r(Photo: Bill Davila / Retna Ltd.)
Photo: Bill Davila / Retna Ltd.
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Law 30 - “Never fall for riches.”—“White Man’s World”\r \r(Photo: REUTERS/Mark Cardwell /Landov)
Photo: REUTERS/Mark Cardwell /Landov
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Law 31\r - “It’s hard to carry on when no one loves you.”—“Thugz Mansion”\r \r(Photo: By Ernie Paniccioli/Retna Ltd.)
Photo: By Ernie Paniccioli/Retna Ltd.
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Law 32\r - “When I die, I wanna be a living legend.”—“No More Pain”\r \r(Photo: Interscope)
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Law 33\r - “I wanna distinguish myself.”—“Letter to My Unborn Child”\r \r(Photo: Interscope)
Photo: Interscope
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Law 34\r - “It takes skill to be real.”—“Changes”\r \r(Photo: Interscope)
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Law 35\r - “In times of danger don’t freeze, time to be a G.”—“Until the End of Time”\r \r \r(Photo: NBC)
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Law 36\r - “It’s gone be some stuff you gone see that’s gone make it hard to smile in the future. But whatever you see, through all the rain and the pain, you gotta keep a sense of humor. You gotta be able to smile through all this bulls—t, remember that.”—“Smile”\r \r(Photo: By Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
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Law 37\r - "If you can make it through the night then there’s a brighter day.”—“Dear Mama”\r \r(Photo: By Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Law 38\r - “If you fall stand tall and come back for more”—“Keep Your Head Up”\r \r(Photo: New Line Cinema/courtesy Everett Collection)
Photo: New Line Cinema/courtesy Everett Collection
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Law 39\r - “I would have to change the world or I would have to be changed by the world.”—Interview with Vibe Magazine 1996.\r \r \r(Photo: By REUTERS/Gary Hershorn /Landov)
Photo: By REUTERS/Gary Hershorn /Landov
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Law 40\r - Don’t support the phonies, support the real.”—A Video Dedicated to Tupac (YouTube)\r \r(Photo: By Mary Evans/FILMFOUR / LAFAYETTE FILMS/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection, 10391757)