76 Inspirational Quotes By Maya Angelou That Will Lift Your Spirits
Maya Angelou was a revered poet and author from America. Here are a few interesting piece of trivia from the life of this winner of residential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts.
Angelou suffered sexual abuse at 8 and the incident left a lasting impression on her. So much so that she turned mute after her offender was found dead, following his release from jail in only one day. Speaking about the five years of her life in her autobiography she mentioned, “I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone.”
Despite her editor's disapproval she collaborated with Hallmark greetings. Citing her reason she said, “If I’m America’s poet, or one of them, then I want to be in people’s hands…people who would never buy a book.”
In the Oprah Winfrey show Angelou revealed that she worked as a streetcar conductor in San Francisco. She also added that she was 16 and absolutely loved uniforms at the time and was the first black to hold the position in the city.
The author loved to binge watch Law & Order and was a great fan of country music. Commenting on the breakup of Brooks and Dunn she said, “I’ve been seriously affected by the breakup of Brooks & Dunn. They broke up after 20 years and I’ve been seriously offended by that!”
Here is a collection of inspirational quotes by one of the greatest American poets of all time, Maya Angelou.
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.
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.
When someone shows you who they are believe them; the first time.
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
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.
Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.
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.
Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.
I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.
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
Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.
Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.
Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.
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.
If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?
You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.
Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it!
Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman.
The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.
Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.
Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.
No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!
Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.
I don't trust anyone who doesn't laugh.
Most people don't grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging.
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.
