17 Mac Miller poetic quotes that touch your soul

At the end of the song “Red Dot Music,” from Mac Miller‘s second official studio album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, listeners can hear a spoken interlude full of self-awareness. The Pittsburgh rapper enlists someone to diss his prior rapper persona and dubs him “easy Mac with the cheesy raps.” Before this album, it could have been easy to link Miller with the white frat rap of the early 2010s; however, after this project, everyone took him more seriously.

From 2013 until his untimely death in 2018, Miller displayed the ultimate depth as an artist and human. Through the bars that he wrote and the phrases he solemnly proclaimed, the MC went from joy-filled cheeseball to metaphysical theorist and sage dreamer. He executed multiple projects riddled with concepts that fused the inner workings of his darkest thoughts and silver linings of hope-filled poetry. We gathered some quotes and lyrics from Miller’s music, which inevitably will, or already have, touched your soul.

The opening line of Miller’s 2018 opus, Swimming, sets you on a unique ride through his subconscious. He compactly makes a comparison between typing and deleting texts and the decisions we’ve made that we can’t forgive ourselves for. Most of us hadn’t made that connection before this lyric, but when he said it, it all became undeniably clear.

The singer-songwriter had an uncanny ability to make connections between his original thoughts and universal experiences. This opening bar of a classic album proves this superpower to the ultimate level.

This hope-filled, mindful and poetic line from Miller also contains an edge of the existentialism that is a through line in much of his music. Not letting the lows take you too low and experiencing them until they fade is a seemingly healthy approach. However, Miller is also indicating some meaninglessness here -- even if it’s a bit under the surface.

These themes continually meet each other at a crossroads in Miller’s music too. Part of what made him relatable is that he always seemed to empathize with both sides of the coin.

This is one of the sweeter Mac Miller quotes on our list. There was a childlike innocence in it and optimism that he often maintained. This life philosophy does have some real value. Rather than dwelling on things that may fall in the right and wrong, it’s important to lead with our hearts and gut. Life is full of gray areas and Miller understood this wholly.

This is Miller’s less talk, more action bar. However, he put his own spin on the idea as he always did. He used this opportunity to talk about people’s characters and how that has more value. Miller had a reputation for helping out many other up-and-coming rappers, two of whom were most notably Vince Staples and ScHoolboy Q. Miller practiced what he preached and was a huge fan of their attempts at ascent.

This lyric is the most poetic way to proclaim that you’re living out your wildest dreams. The statement is also riddled with encouragement for others to put their dreams into action rather than sitting around and dwelling on them. There is also an interesting undertone of being a bit lost in this quote. Miller potentially ruminates on the haze that accompanies living in your dreams and craves the clear direction he had when he hadn’t yet achieved them.

Mac Miller preached about the satisfaction that is possible when you fully live in the present. It seemed like he actively started to practice gratitude at the time of this statement. The rapper encouraged others to keep chasing their dreams because while they could focus on the long pathway ahead, it is important to notice each step forward — no matter how small the step — and be thankful. This was a poignant way to express the idea of never giving up. Miller’s own experiences with mental health allowed him to communicate on a deep level with others who were also on edge.

Maintaining a balance of emotions is one of the hardest things to do and the Pennsylvania-born rapper movingly touches on this. He expresses that his feelings tend to reach peak highs and low lows. He feels as though the universe gives him both sides for balance.

This could be a difficult emotional roller coaster to navigate, but Miller reveals that writing is his antidote for inner peace. He becomes a relatable figure to anyone else who types or picks up a pen to sort out their feelings whether it be through poetry, essay writing, journal entries or rap lyrics.

The late lyricist seemed to have kept a pretty close circle. He seemed to know the difference between a friend and an acquaintance. This statement was also an exercise in quality over quantity. Even if you haven’t touched fame, the one thing we can all empathize with is that it is probably hard to navigate the number of people who enter your life after success. Many people probably come around with nice gestures but have the intention of using you. This Miller bar seemed driven by his understanding of that world.

This is potentially the most potent quote on our list and can be applied to any interpersonal relationship in life. The companionships that have the most value are the ones in which both people can be their full selves. Miller urges others to approach relationships in ways that will prevent resentment against those they love. He proclaims that if you lose yourself in someone else, you should consider ridding yourself of that partnership.

This quote was delivered around the time of one of Miller’s most prolific albums, The Divine Feminine. He took what some would consider a bit of a left turn and crafted an album as an homage to women and love. This was his explanation for that album’s impetus.

This is absolutely a quote to live by. Miller was rejecting machismo and leaning into his open heart.

Leading with honesty as well as compassion always seemed like a value at the center of Miller’s being. In this quote, he explained why he lived this way: To relieve his regrets and guilt, and to be able to rest. This is quite a brave stance to take if you think about it. The singer-songwriter was daring in his honesty and only accepted people in his life who were willing to accept the full reality of who he was. If only we all practiced this all the time.

The “Jet Fuel” rapper had plenty of songs in his catalog that chronicled heartbreak — not just in the romantic sense but also in the friendship sense, with lyrics such as, “Everybody got dead homies.” Mac Miller did much of his singing on the records in the back half of his career. While he may not have been the best vocalist in the world, he tactfully stayed within a pleasing-to-the-ear range and had a heartfelt delivery.

Mac Miller was always an ambassador for rejecting the stereotypical male emotional expectations. In this lyric, he even implied that there is an inherent strength in men letting themselves cry when needed. Within societal standards, men showing emotion is oftentimes seen as a weakness, but Miller didn’t agree. He also began this bar with a solace-filled yet morbid thought about death that would precursor his untimely end.

This bar from an early mixtape shows a glimmer of maturity even within his youthful playfulness. There were always hints of this direction in the early stages that he would eventually fully embrace. Miller was always close to his family and openly expressed this on wax. As he progressed in stardom, this value system seemed to become even more ingrained.

The Divine Feminine also spurred this heartfelt quote, as the 2016 album was a pure ode to the power of the women in Miller’s life. He continually crafted dedications to these women of importance and was never heard talking bad about anyone he had a romantic relationship with. Many of us can deeply relate to this quote, as the ladies in our lives also represent our moral barometers.

This rhyming quote gets to the main value system many of us hold in our subconscious. The Pittsburgh native was never shy about his own and others’ imperfections as humans. This made him a sort of everyman figure and one of the most relatable musicians to come out of the 2010s.

This lyric was on Miller’s debut studio album, Blue Slide Park. Given how his life ended, it is now strewn with unending melancholy. In that era of his career, he was filled with life and hope but still held a somewhat morbid undertone. The late rapper lived as full a life as anyone could up to age 26. He delivered classic and timeless bodies of work that continue to linger well past his death.

Rest in peace forever to the great Mac Miller.

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