1 / 41

Happy 40th Birthday, Ms. Hill! - L-Boogie turns 40 today and with that comes a wealth of knowledge. Lauryn has bestowed over 20 years of gems on the hip hop masses and in observance of her born day, let's take a look at a few of her words of wisdom over the years. —Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

2 / 41

Woder Woman - "I want to empower; I want to inform; I want to inspire." — Vibe, August 1998 cover story.(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for CBGB)

3 / 41

The Teacher - "And even after all my logic and my theory, I add a muthaf**ka so you ign'ant n****s hear me." —"Zealots"(Photo: Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

4 / 41

Natural Born Leader - "Whenever you stand for something; and goodness and truth, you’ll always get resistance." —Academy of Achievement Speech, 2000(Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images for Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame)

5 / 41

Queen of the Earth - “Don’t be a hard rock when you really are a gem. Babygirl respect is just a minimum." —“Doo Wop (That Thing)”(Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

6 / 41

The Mind Squad - "...Why would I talk about guns? When I talk about my weapon, I'm talking 'bout my tongue, because, realistically, that's the strongest weapon I have. And that's all we're trying to do: be realistic." —Rolling Stone, 1996 (Photo: Johnny Louis/WENN.com)

7 / 41

Unplugged - "We call ourselves innovators and we just copy." —MTV, 2002 (Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research) 

8 / 41

No Time for Fakes Ones - “I don’t schmooze, I don’t shoot the s**t. I’m highly intuitive, and can smell bulls**t a mile away. It’s highly uncomfortable for me to be about. You don’t see me out. I can’t be around nonsense.” —Vice, 2013(Photo: Awais, PacificCoastNews)

9 / 41

Guardian of the Musical Galaxy  - "We've also got to protect the music, and make sure it never gets exploited and turned out like doughnuts of something." —Interview, 1998(Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

10 / 41

Living Legend - "Fronting n****s give me heebie-jeebies/ So while you’re imitating Al Capone, I’ll be Nina Simone and defecating on your microphone.” —"Ready or Not"(Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The United Republic of Tanzania)

11 / 41

Inner Peace - “It’s more important to be righteous than to be right.”  —Academy of Achievement Speech, 2000(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images) 

12 / 41

Wake Up - "Wisdom is better than silver and gold. I was hopeless, now I'm on Hope Road." —"Lost Ones"  (Photo: WENN)

13 / 41

...Root to All Evil - "The only wealth I have to give is not material. And if you need much more than that, I'm not available." —"Mr. Intentional"(Photo: Jo Hale/Getty Images)

14 / 41

The Roots - "Your environment is what molds you. You respond to the stimuli, and when the stimuli change, the response changes, so I always like to come back to the environment that made me respond the way that, musically, brought me to a certain place." —Rolling Stone, 1996 (Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

15 / 41

All Hail the Queen - "I’ve always been wise beyond my years. I’ve always been a teacher. When I was a child, I was teaching adults, because I was always learning. I’m Ms. Hill because I know I’m a wise woman. That is the respect I deserve." —Essence, 2009(Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

16 / 41

The Children Are the Future - “Tomorrow, our seed will grow, all we need is dedication." —“Everything Is Everything”(Photo: John M. Heller/Getty)

17 / 41

Education Is Never Missed - “Never be afraid of not knowing… Find out, because that’s how you get to mastership.” —Academy of Achievement Speech, 2000(Photo: Scott Gries/ImageDirect)

18 / 41

One Love - “Folks, walk strong, seek light and universal correction in all things.” —Letter to fans from prison (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

19 / 41

Phenomenal Woman - "You can't match this rapper slash actress/ More powerful than two Cleopatras/ Bomb graffiti on the tomb of Nefertiti/ MCs ain't ready to take it to the Serengeti."  —"Everything Is Everything" (Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

20 / 41

The Power Within - "Madame potential, I'm deadly with a pencil." —"The Sweetest Thing (Freestyle)"(Photo: Brenda Chase/Online USA, Inc.)

21 / 41

The Evolution of Lauryn Hill - “Let’s not be mediocre in our greatness. Think big and think in doses. Think in experiences and don’t be afraid of experiences that teach you."  —Academy of Achievement Speech, 2000(Photo: Scott Gries/ImageDirect)

22 / 41

Listen Closely  - "It's either ascension or dissension. No third dimension, so pay attention." -—"Here But I'm Gone"(Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

23 / 41

Shine Like the Sun - "These dimensions and extensions will secure my future pension/ When I mention corporate lynching's like the cowboys did to Indians/ The intentions of the Devil is to cause me hypertension/ So stay gold like Stevie Wonder don't blunder like OJ Simpson." —"Stay Gold"(Photo: Brian Killian/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Brian Killian/Getty Images

24 / 41

When We Were Kings and Queens - "Make the last be the first/ Make the God respect the Earth/ Change the murder rate to the birth!" —"Ready or Not (Remix)"(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

25 / 41

Each One Teach One - "Teach the youth they've got more rights than Miranda. Tell 'em this whole s**t is propaganda." —"Don't Cry Dry Your Eyes" (Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

26 / 41

Break Every Chain - "To keep me in this box/ Psychological locks/ Repressing true expression/ Cementing this repression/ Promoting mass deception/ So that no one can be healed/ I don't respect your system/ I won't protect your system/ When you talk I don't listen." —"I Get Out"(Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

27 / 41

Stand Up - "...I do support artists standing by their beliefs, and walking with integrity. We have to find a better way to commercially exploit music, while giving artists their proper respect. This cannot be done while taking their contributions for granted, or trying to control the scope of their growth and power through threats and fear tactics. We can do better than this, there is a better way, or else 'we' (the proverbial we) find ourselves in danger of being hypocrites!!!." —Twitter, 2012 (Photo: Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

28 / 41

Fight the Power - “Know that man-made concerns and Universal concerns are not always in agreement.” —Letter to fans from prison (Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images

29 / 41

Protect Thyself - "Now I may have faith to make mountains fall/ But if I lack love, then I am nothin' at all/ I can give away everything I pssess/ But left without love then I have no happiness." — "Tell Him"(Photo: Awais, PacificCoastNews.com)

30 / 41

Drop a Gem - “That strong mother doesn’t tell her cub, Son, stay weak so the wolves can get you. She says, Toughen up, this is reality we are living in.” —MTV Unplugged(Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect)

31 / 41

Change Gone Come - "Our survival since our arrival documented in the Bible/ Like Moses and Aaron/ Things gone change, it's apparent/ And all the transparent gonna be seen through/ Let God redeem you, keep your dream true." —"Final Hour"(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

32 / 41

Divide and Conquer - "It's funny how money change a situation/ Miscommunication lead to complication." —"Lost Ones"(Photo: Scott Gries/ImageDirect)

Photo By Photo: Scott Gries/ImageDirect

33 / 41

Words of Wisdom - “We used to bite the bullets with the pigskin casings. Now we perfect slang like a gang of street masons. Scribe checks make connects true pyramid architects. Replace the last name with the X.”  —"Rumble in the Jungle"(Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images

34 / 41

The Big Lie  - "Conflicts with night sticks/ Illegal sales districts/ Hand-picked lunatics, keep poli-TRICK-cians rich. Heretics push narcotics amidst its risks and frisks/ Cool cliques throw bricks but seldom hit targets." —"The Beast" (Photo: Johnny Louis/WENN.com)

Photo By Photo: Johnny Louis/WENN.com

35 / 41

Eye on the Prize - “You could get the money, you can get the power, but keep your eyes on the final hour.”  —"Final Hour" (Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect)

36 / 41

Loyalty Is Everything - “Be careful of those who pretend to be brothers. And you never suppose it’s those who are closest to you.” —"Forgive Them Father"(Photo: Paul Smith/ WENN)

Photo By Photo: Paul Smith/ WENN

37 / 41

Check Yo Self - “How you gon' win when you ain’t right within? Uh-uh, come again…” —"Doo Wop (That Thing)"(Photo: Getty Images)

38 / 41

Game Changer - “I think my contributions, and what I projected through my own identity, changed a lot of things. I remember wearing a skirt on stage, and that was illegal in hip hop. I introduced certain musical elements to hip hop that were not there before, and I used certain language that was deemed a little too articulate for hip hop, but at the time I wasn’t looking at it as a contribution. I was just being myself.”  —Trace, 2005(Photo: David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns via Getty Images)

39 / 41

Only God Can Judge Me - "I'll stand firm, and give Jah all the thanks and praises/ I don't expect to be justified, by these laws of men/ Though the wicked find me guilty, Jah will prove my innocency/ Cuz when the rain falls, it don't, fall on one man's house top / Remember that/ See when this rain falls, it don't, fall on one man's house top." —"So Much Things to Say" (Photo: Brenda Chase via Getty Images)

40 / 41

Bare It All - “What happens when you have a soul, and bare it on stage, in a world of manipulation? It does create conflict, a schism. There are some people who give themselves only partially because they know the business, and then there are some people who give themselves wholly and they get hurt. In order to bare one’s soul, one has to display their whole vulnerability, which most people will never do. Those people who bare their souls end up being the source of ridicule. I wonder if people see themselves as soul-barers. I don’t think people are made of steel; they are still flesh, and they get affected. Jesus himself experienced fear, sorrow and disappointment, but he had the greater good as his focus.” —Trace, 2005 (Photo: WENN)

41 / 41

Follow the Leader - “And deep in my heart. The answer, it was in me. And I made up my mind. To define my own destiny.…”  —"The MisEducation of Lauryn Hill"(Photo: WENN)