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Inspirational Quotations

by RightAttitudes.com

Inspirational Quotes by Maya Angelou (American Poet)

Inspirational Quotations by Maya Angelou (American Poet)

Maya Angelou (1928–2014,) born Marguerite Ann Johnson, was an African-American poet, author, singer, dancer, playwright, director, actor, professor, and civil rights activist. Her seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry chronicled the African American experience in literature.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970,) Angelou’s first autobiography, told the story of her life up to the age of seventeen. Angelou’s account of her harrowing childhood in Arkansas, her segregation in southern schools, and the beginning of her relationship with literature brought her international recognition and acclaim.

In January 1993, at Bill Clinton’s first inauguration, Angelou became the second poet, the first African-American, and the first woman to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration. She wrote and recited the poem “On the Pulse of Morning” to emphasize unity, social change, and public responsibility.

Angelou inspired generations of fans with her enthusiasm to share the wisdom she acquired from the struggle of her childhood of abuse, the oppression in the American Deep South in the 1930s, and her early adult experiences.

More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Maya Angelou

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Inspirational Quotes by Maya Angelou (American Poet)

There is a very fine line between loving life and being greedy for it.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Life, Lust For

Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: “I’m with you kid. Let’s go.”
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Life and Living, Life

I do not trust people who don’t love themselves and yet tell me, “I love you.” There is an African saying which is: “Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.”
—Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
—Maya Angelou

Ask For What You Want And Be Prepared To Get It.
—Maya Angelou

People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but, they will always remember how you made them feel.
—Maya Angelou

The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.
—Maya Angelou

The honorary duty of a human being is to love.
—Maya Angelou

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Simplicity, Simple Living, Change

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
—Maya Angelou

Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.
—Maya Angelou

The desire to reach the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise and most possible.
—Maya Angelou

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.
—Maya Angelou

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

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.
—Maya Angelou

No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
—Maya Angelou

Something made greater by ourselves and in turn that makes us greater.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Work

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
—Maya Angelou

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.
—Maya Angelou

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Entrepreneurs

How important it is to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes.
—Maya Angelou

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Helping

Children’s talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Children

Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.
—Maya Angelou

Life is pure adventure and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Life

It is the belief in a power larger than myself and other than myself which allows me to venture into the unknown and even the unknowable.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Belief

Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.
—Maya Angelou

If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Luck

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Love

Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.
—Maya Angelou

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.
—Maya Angelou

Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Love

Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Jealousy

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Parents

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.
—Maya Angelou

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
—Maya Angelou

The most called-upon prerequisite of a friend is an accessible ear.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Friendship

I am overwhelmed by the grace and persistence of my people.
—Maya Angelou
Topics: Grace

I sustain myself with the love of family.
—Maya Angelou

No sun outlasts its sunset but will rise again and bring the dawn.
—Maya Angelou

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