Success Quote by Russell Simmons

Simmons is doing something slick here: he reframes moral commentary as a kind of indulgence, and practical assistance as the only respectable response. The first sentence doesn’t just discourage “judgment”; it demotes it. “Not helpful” is the language of management and triage, not theology. It’s a businessman’s ethic dressed up as compassion: outcomes over outrage, interventions over opinions.

The subtext is a critique of the spectator culture that thrives on other people’s mistakes. “Judgment of the people in the situation” points to a familiar script in public life - poverty, addiction, incarceration, scandal - where the audience gets to feel righteous without getting involved. Simmons nudges that impulse into a corner by implying it’s self-serving, even lazy. If your response stops at assessment, you’re not a participant; you’re a commentator.

Then comes the pivot: “How can you help them is the question.” The wording matters. It’s not “Should you help?” or “Who’s at fault?” It’s a direct prompt that assumes responsibility is already on the table and forces you to move from abstract values to concrete choices. The grammar tightens into urgency, like a coach cutting through excuses.

Contextually, the line fits Simmons’s broader brand: hip-hop-era entrepreneurship fused with philanthropy talk, a worldview shaped by hustle culture and social inequity living side by side. It’s also a defensive maneuver in a media environment that loves takedowns. By demanding usefulness, he tries to change the rules of engagement: less verdict, more repair.