Many people often seek after Maya Angelou quotes. If you are an enthusiast of poetry and literature maybe you are familiar with the name. Maya Angelou is known as a black writer, and activist from America. She has written many books with inspiring stories to win many awards. Of all the stories, there are lots of words that can inspire and move everyone to face the problems. This is what makes many people look for quotes by Maya Angelou.
If you thought that being a non-fiction writer was easy, it looks like you have a lot to learn from Maya Angelou. In an interview with Black Scholar, Maya Angelou argues when a writer chooses to continue writing, what she wants to write is productivity, and it is important to link it with resilience. Maya Angelou also talked about her struggles when writing a book because she did not immediately get an award from her first book. Even so, she still struggles and writes what she wants to convey to the public. You will find many of Maya Angelou quotes in her works.
If you are a writer who wants or is writing a work, apart from inspirational quotes by Maya Angelou, you can also get inspiration from other things. Here are tips to get inspired so you can write your work
- Your experience – Just like Angelou, the experiences you have had, whether good or bad, can inspire you. If you ever feel the world is unfair, it can also be an inspiration for you to voice your wishes through writing.
- Discuss with friends or other people – Discuss often with your friends and those closest to you. It could be in the discussion you find many things you can make a writing.
- Mingle with Nature – Nature is one of the best places to find inspiration. When you are bored in a room of course, you will not be able to write. Go outside, and do some nature-related activities like going to the beach, or hiking.
Empowering Maya Angelou Quotes
Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.
You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.
It is this belief in a power larger than myself and other than myself which allows me to venture into the unknown and even the unknowable.
One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We cannot be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
Women should be tough, tender, laugh as much as possible, and live long lives.
No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
I was told many years ago by my grandmother who raised me: If somebody puts you on a road and you don’t feel comfortable on it and you look ahead and you don’t like the destination and you look behind and you don’t want to return to that place, step off the road.
My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.
Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.
If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.
I not only have the right to stand up for myself, but I have the responsibility. I can’t ask somebody else to stand up for me if I won’t stand up for myself. And once you stand up for yourself, you’d be surprised that people say, “Can I be of help?”.
If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform a million realities.
You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. 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.
“I thank God that I’ve lived long enough to see what I have seen, and I pray that people will continue to do better. We are doing better, it may not seem so, but there was a time when people were lynched in the middle of the street and it was not against the law. We are doing better, but we have so much more to do.” — 2012
“It must be remembered, however, that jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savour, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening.”
“You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot — it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”
“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill/of things unknown but longed for still/and his tune is heard on the distant hill/for the caged birds sings of freedom.”
“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” —2009
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
Maya Angelou Quotes About Love, Life, And Courage
“We need much less than we think we need.”
“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.”
“If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?”
“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.”
“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.”
“I thank God that I’ve lived long enough to see what I have seen, and I pray that people will continue to do better. We are doing better, it may not seem so, but there was a time when people were lynched in the middle of the street and it was not against the law. We are doing better, but we have so much more to do.” —2012
“A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.”
“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.”
“I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.”
“There’s a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.”
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.”
“If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.”
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”
“I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too.”
“I got my own back.”
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
“Nothing will work unless you do.”
“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
“The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.”
“Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art.”
“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”
“I don’t trust people who don’t love themselves and tell me, ‘I love you.’ There is an African saying which is: ‘Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.’”
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”
“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”
“Whenever we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
“The main thing is to be in love with the search for truth.”
“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.”
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”
“I do my best because I’m counting on you counting on me.”
“Courage – you develop courage by doing small things like just as if you wouldn’t want to pick up a 100-pound weight without preparing yourself.”
“I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.”
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.”
“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.”
“We are only as blind as we want to be.”
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
“Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
“Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”
“I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.”
“Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls.”
Angelou’s many bitter experiences made her strong and tried to make her voice heard by the public. The experience of her life that was full of shocks allowed her to stand up to be the legendary woman she is today. From her story, there are many Maya Angelou quotes about life that we can take as motivation and inspiration. Motivational Maya Angelou quote will make you able to survive in life.
Funny Maya Angelou Quotes
Nothing will work unless you do.
I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.
When we find someone who is brave, fun, intelligent, and loving, we have to thank the universe.
I believe most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise.
I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh.
The best candy shop a child can be left alone in, is the library.
I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!
Most Inspiring Maya Angelou Quotes
“The needs of a society determine its ethics.”
“You don’t have to think about doing the right thing. If you’re for the right thing, then you do it without thinking.”
“You can never be great at anything unless you love it.”
“Never whine. Whining lets a brute know that a victim is in the neighborhood.”
“The first thing I do in the morning when I awaken is say, ‘Thank you, Lord!’ I’m grateful to be alive, and I’m going to try to tell the truth as well as I know and tell it as eloquently as I can so that people can hear it.”
“I’m grateful to be of use. I will not be misused or abused, but I will be of use to anybody.”
“When we decide to be happy we accept the responsibility to bring happiness to someone else.”
“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.”
“Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
“This is a beautiful day, I’ve never seen this one before.”
“Peace my brother, peace my sister, peace my soul.”
“I am a Woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman, that’s me.”
“Try to live your life in a way that you will not regret years of useless virtue and inertia and timidity. Take up the battle, take it up! It’s yours, this is your life, this is your world.”
“We are not our brother’s keeper; we are our brother and we are our sister. We must look past complexion and see community.”
“The greatest gift we give to each other is the telling of the truth.”
“You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn’t do anything to the object of its displeasure. So use that anger. You write it. You paint it. You dance it. You march it. You vote it…”
“I had to trust life, since I was young enough to believe that life loved the person who dared to live it.”
“Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise.”
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”
“Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.”
“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”
“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.”
“What I really want to do is be a representative of my race, of the human race. I have a chance to show how kind we can be, how intelligent and generous we can be. I have a chance to teach and to love and to laugh.”
“Love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it empowers us to develop courage; to trust that courage and build bridges with it; to trust those bridges and cross over them so we can attempt to reach each other.”
“If we tolerate vulgarity our future will sway and fall under a burden of ignorance. It need not be so. We have the brains and the heart to face our futures bravely. Taking responsibility for the time we take up and the space we occupy.”
“I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity, is daring to dare.”
“Every day I awaken I am grateful. My intent is to be totally present in that day. And laugh as much as possible.”
“When you know you are of worth — not asking it but knowing it — you walk into a room with a particular power.”
“I sustain myself with the love of family.”
“The desire to reach the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise and most possible.”
“We are here to love each other. That is why you are alive. That is what life is for.”
“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, however, if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”
“I love wisdom. And you can never be great at anything unless you love it. Not be in love with it, but love the thing, admire the thing. And it seems that if you love the thing, and you don’t just want to possess it, it will find you.”
“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.”
“I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.”
“If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”
“We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders.”
“If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult.”
“You can see in others what they don’t see in themselves and what the world doesn’t see in them. We all have that possibility, that potential and that promise of seeing beyond the seeming.”
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”
“If you have done the best you can do and if you have gotten all you could extract from something — you have given all you had to give, then the time has come when you can do no more than say thank you and move on.”
“There’s a marked difference between acquaintances and friends. Most people really don’t become friends. They become deep and serious acquaintances. But in a friendship you get to know the spirit of another person; and your values coincide.”
“It is impossible to struggle for civil rights, equal rights for blacks, without including whites. Because equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like the air; we all have it or none of us has it.”
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.”
“I am grateful to have been loved and to be loved now and to be able to love, because love liberates. Love liberates it doesn’t just hold, that’s ego, love liberates!”
“Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented. So, to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise.”
“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter their color; equal in importance no matter their texture.”
“The idea of overcoming is always fascinating to me. It’s fascinating because few of us realize how much energy we have expended just to be here today. I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for the overcoming.”
“There is a spirit in all music, the spirit has the ability to conjure up thoughts even pictures of something that happened or you wished would happen or you anticipate happening. Music has the ability to create ideas in you and me.”
“I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.”
If you are a big fan of Maya Angelou, you must already know that all of her books are written based on the stories she has experienced. She has often been unfairly treated since she was a child. She went through a lot of bad things because she was black. It was injustice that he then voiced through writing. Although initially it was not heard by the public, in the end many people realized the story. Read the story and you will find the inspiring Angelo Maya quotes.
