Because they are catchy, some celebrity quotes trend. Because they explain an entire life, others endure.
Jungkook first said these words during a 2013 interview, when he was merely a 15-year-old boy. Since debuting in 2013, BTS has gone on to become one of the biggest acts in music history and has earned multiple Billboard No. 1 albums, Grammy nominations, sold-out stadium tours and global recognition.
He devotes all of his energy to each performance rather than spreading it out across a lengthy tour because, as J-Hope pointed out, each audience member only gets to see that concert once. They are a window into the mindset that transformed a shy teenager from Busan into one of the world’s biggest music stars. Yet even then, he spoke with remarkable certainty about what mattered most. In the documentary Break the Silence, J-Hope and SUGA discussed how Jungkook approaches every concert as though it were his last. Independently as well, Jungkook established himself as a successful solo artist. His debut solo album Golden, topped charts worldwide. Despite those achievements, interviews over the years have shown that his philosophy has remained remarkably consistent.
For Jeon Jungkook of BTS, the words “I’d rather die than live without passion” are more than a motivational slogan. Instead of saying he feared failure, he said he feared a life without passion. BTS had not yet become the global phenomenon it is today.
