"I used to think like Moses. That knocked me down for a couple years and put me in prison. Then I start thinking like Job. Job waited and became the wealthiest and richest man ever 'cause he believed in God"
About this Quote
Job is the counter-strategy: endure, wait, refuse to surrender your faith even when the world humiliates you. Brown frames that pivot as pragmatic spiritual politics, not piety for its own sake. “Job waited” isn’t just moral advice; it’s an argument for patience as a kind of power when direct confrontation carries a price. Coming from an artist who rose out of Jim Crow poverty, got arrested, and rebuilt his brand repeatedly, the line doubles as a survival manual for fame: don’t fight every battle head-on, outlast the storm, let time and belief compound.
There’s also a sly self-justification in the prosperity gospel edge of it: faith as the mechanism that turns suffering into wealth. Brown isn’t quoting scripture as much as remixing it into autobiography, a way to make punishment sound like a detour on the road to greatness. It’s gritty, optimistic, and a little transactional - which fits a man who treated redemption like a stage show you had to work for every night.
Quote Details
| Topic | Faith |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Brown, James. (n.d.). I used to think like Moses. That knocked me down for a couple years and put me in prison. Then I start thinking like Job. Job waited and became the wealthiest and richest man ever 'cause he believed in God. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-used-to-think-like-moses-that-knocked-me-down-125604/
Chicago Style
Brown, James. "I used to think like Moses. That knocked me down for a couple years and put me in prison. Then I start thinking like Job. Job waited and became the wealthiest and richest man ever 'cause he believed in God." FixQuotes. Accessed February 2, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-used-to-think-like-moses-that-knocked-me-down-125604/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I used to think like Moses. That knocked me down for a couple years and put me in prison. Then I start thinking like Job. Job waited and became the wealthiest and richest man ever 'cause he believed in God." FixQuotes, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-used-to-think-like-moses-that-knocked-me-down-125604/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.






