Step aside, Shakespeare
BTS’ leader, Kim Namjoon, is known for giving us words of wisdom when we need them the most. His unique way with words is reason enough to learn Korean (and believe me, I’m trying).
He’s a philosophical and poetic person and occasionally blesses us mere mortals with nuggets of wisdom from his beautiful brain.
Here are some of his most inspirational quotes to guide you through life.
On self-doubt
“Even if you’re not perfect, you’re limited edition.”
I’m not sure about the origin of this but I love it.
On feeling lost in life
“I think that life is about being lost. Life is just continuous wandering.”
This is from one of his old V Live broadcasts.
On the power of music
“Music transcends language, country, race...Like the rainbow, I don’t care if you’re red, blue or orange. We love you.”
He said these comforting words on stage during the Wings tour in 2017. He often speaks about music transcending language barriers and BTS' global popularity proves him right.
On loving yourself
“Find your own definition of loving yourself. I used you guys [the fans] to love myself, but it was never the intention. So, please use me, use us, use BTS, to love yourself.”
He said this at the Citifield concert last year during their Love Yourself tour. Are you crying? I'm crying.
“What excites you and make your heart beat? Tell me your story. I want to hear your voice and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you're from, your skin colour, your gender identity, just speak yourself. Find your name and find your voice by speaking yourself."
BTS often speak about the importance of self-love and expressing yourself and I think Namjoon articulated this beautifully in his UN speech last year.
“Like most people, I've made many and plenty mistakes in my life. I have many faults, and I have many more fears, but I'm gonna embrace myself as hard as I can, and I'm starting to love myself gradually just little by little.”
This is another poignant statement from his UN speech. Learning to accept yourself, flaws and all, is no easy feat. But at least we know even successful people go through this too.
On making mistakes
“Maybe I made a mistake yesterday. But yesterday’s me is still me. I am who I am today with all of my faults and my mistakes. Tomorrow, I might be a tiny bit wiser and that’ll be me too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life. I have come to love myself for who I was, who I am and who I hope to become.”
I could include the entire UN speech here, to be honest. This section is particularly powerful, because Namjoon is so honest about when he's messed up and always strives to grow from his mistakes. This is a great reminder that nobody's perfect and our mistakes make us who we are.
On self-exploration
“I’m curious about the shape of your soul.”
This is Namjoon’s message on the back of his photo card in the Map of the Soul: Persona album and wow...Just wow.