Speaking of her childhood and writing, she said: 3. It is that precise, that established, that organized, that sort of development from the bottom to the top.” - Smithsonian Magazine interview Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash On Writing: The Best Maya Angelou Quotes Who made that rule? You ever see a person lay bricks? Because of the eye and the hands, of course he or she would like to see ballet. we cripple our children, we cripple each other with those designations that if you’re a brick mason you shouldn’t love the ballet. In an interview with the Smithsonian, when asked about her ability to easily navigate through her “diverse life and career,” she responded by looking at the next generation. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. During her long life she valued and wrote about her family and was generous in her encouragement to others as you’ll see in these following quotes. She spoke out against racism and was open about abuse far before #metoo. Maya Angelou was a poet, a writer, an activist, a teacher -and much more. Later, she would travel the US and the world, living in Africa for a season before returning to the US and discovering a love for teaching. As a young adult, Angelou moved to California to live with her mother. She grew up in the deep South, with only one traumatic trip back to St. Louis, Missouri, in 1928, her parents’ early separation sent Maya to live with her grandparents in Arkansas. Go get em.Maya Angelou at the Clinton Presidential Inauguration in 1993īorn in St. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”Īnd this one, well, it speaks for itself.
“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” You are the universe experiencing itself in human form. “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” You have nowhere to be, and nothing to achieve. Take joy from the seemingly mundane, and choose to make everything in life an adventure. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style” “Have enough courage to trust love one more time.”Īnd even when life and love get you down, as they sometimes will… “Hope for the best, be prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.” The one that makes a difference in the lives of others.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”īe that person. Life will throw you challenges, but it is in those challenges that you learn who you are. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. We can only control the choices we make, choose to be empowered, rather than a victim. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” Give yourself a break you’re doing just fine. We rarely pay homage to the work it takes to become great. “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” When you fall down, and if you feel like staying down, remember tomorrow is a new day. “No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.” When you do the work on yourself, consistently, you become better and can do better for others and for yourself. Don’t just apply this to others, apply it to yourself. Such a simple statement, yet so meaningful. “When you know better, you DO BETTER.” – Maya Angelou Her interesting and full life, and many different occupations, gave Angelou a beautiful perspective, and a profound love of life and all its intricacies.īelow are some of the most famous quotes of Maya Angelou to inspire you on your own journey to greatness.
Her most famous works were her 7 autobiographies, the first- I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – being the one to bring her international recognition. Maya Angelou was a well-known poet, actress, author and human rights activist. 12 Empowering Maya Angelou Quotes That Will Inspire You To Greatness