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Maya Angelou Quotes - Page 29

All Quotes Achievement Adventure Adversity Age Aging Appreciation Art Attitude Beauty Being Alone Birth Black History Bravery Cancer Challenges Change Character Children Choices Christmas Church Communication Community Compassion Confidence Country Courage Creativity Culture Dance Darkness Death Defeat Determination Discipline Diversity Dying Earth Education Effort Ego Electricity Empowerment Encouragement Encouraging Energy Ethics Failing Failure Faith Falling In Love Family Fashion Fear Feelings Fighting Forgiveness Freedom Friendship Generosity Giving Glory God Grace Graduation Gratitude Growing Up Growth Happiness Hard Work Harmony Hate Healing Heart Hell Helping Others History Home Honesty Hope House Humanity Humility Hurt Husband Identity Ignorance Inspirational Inspiring Intelligence Journey Joy Justice Kindness Language Laughter Leadership Learning Leaving Life Listening Live Life Loneliness Love Love Life Lying Memories Modesty Mom Monday Morning Motivation Motivational Moving On Music Overcoming Pain Passion Past Peace Persistence Pleasure Poetry Positive Positive Thinking Positivity Prejudice Pride Purpose Quality Racism Reading Reality Regret Respect Responsibility Romance Running Sacrifice School Segregation Self Esteem Silence Skins Sleep Son Soul Spring Strength Struggle Style Success Survival Sympathy Talent Teaching Thankful Thanksgiving Time Today Travel Trust Truth Virtue Waiting Wall War Water Whining Winning Wisdom Writing Yoga

In a world so rife with vulgarity, with brutality and violence, love exists. I’m grateful to know that it exists.

In a world so rife with vulgarity, with brutality and violence, love exists. I’m grateful to know that it exists.

Grateful, Brutality, World

Twitter post from Jan 26, 2013

In all the institutions I try to be present and accountable for all I do and leave undone. I know that eventually I shall have to be present and accountable n the presence of God. I do not wish to be found wanting.

Wish, Trying, Undone

"Letter to My Daughter". Book by Maya Angelou, www.huffingtonpost.com. September 23, 2008.

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.

Girl, Growing Up, Southern

1969 I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, opening section.

I do not need to know all things. I remind myself that it is sufficient that I know what I know and know that without believing that I will always know what I know or that what I know will always be true.

Believe, Needs, Being True

Maya Angelou (2011). “Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now”, p.25, Bantam

It's in the click of my heels, The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, The need of my care, 'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.

Hair, Hands, Needs

Maya Angelou (2013). “And Still I Rise”, p.16, Hachette UK

That knowledge humbles me, melts my bones, closes my ears, and makes my teeth rock loosely in their gums. And it also liberates me. I am a big bird winging over high mountains, down into serene valleys. I am ripples of waves on silver seas. I'm a spring leaf trembling in anticipation.

Spring, Sea, Rocks

That's what you want to do? Then nothing beats a trial but a failure. Give it everything you've got. I've told you many times, 'Cant do is like Dont Care.' Neither of them have a home.

Home, Giving, Dont Care

Maya Angelou (2012). “The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou”, p.203, Modern Library

To be left alone on the tightrope of youthful unknowing is to experience the excruciating beauty of full freedom and the threat of eternal indecision.

Indecision, Threat, Left Alone

Maya Angelou (2009). “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, p.267, Random House

Ritie, don't worry 'cause you ain't pretty. Plenty pretty women I seen digging ditches or worse. You smart. I swear to God, I rather you have a good mind than a cute behind.

Cute, Smart, Swear To God

Maya Angelou (2012). “The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou”, p.55, Modern Library

A story went the rounds about a San Franciscan white matron who refused to sit beside a Negro civilian on the streetcar, even after he made room for her on the seat. Her explanation was that she would not sit beside a draft dodger who was a Negro as well. She added that the least he could do was fight for his country the way her son was fighting on Iwo Jima. The story said that the man pulled his body away from the window to show an armless sleeve. He said quietly and with great dignity, "Then ask your son to look around for my arm, which I left over there.

Country, Fighting, Son

Maya Angelou (2009). “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, p.210, Random House

A certain person wondered why a big strong girl like me wouldn't keep a job which paid a normal salary. I took my time to lead her and to read her every page. Even minimal people can't survive on minimal wage. A certain person wondered why I wait all week for you. I didn't have the words to describe just what you do. I said you had the motion of the ocean in your walk, and when you solve my riddles you don't even have to talk.

Girl, Strong, Jobs

Maya Angelou (2011). “I Shall Not Be Moved: Poems”, p.46, Random House

Soft you day, be velvet soft, My true love approaches, Look you bright, you dusty sun, Array your golden coaches. Soft you wind, be soft as silk My true love is speaking. Hold you birds, your silver throats, His golden voice I'm seeking. Come you death, in haste, do come My shroud of black be weaving, Quiet my heart, be deathly quiet, My true love is leaving.

Heart, Love Is, Wind

Maya Angelou (2015). “The Complete Poetry”, p.18, Random House

When I was asked to do something good, I often say yes, I'll try, yes, I'll do my best. And part of that is believing, if God loves me, if God made everything from leaves to seals and oak trees, then what is it I can't do?

Believe, Tree, Trying

"Maya Angelou discusses her faith, politics, courage ahead of LSU event next week". Interview with Chelsea Brasted, www.nola.com. February 13, 2013.

But from a distance. I would have left you whole and wholly for the delectation of those who wanted more and cared less.

Broken Heart, Distance, Wanted

Maya Angelou (2015). “The Complete Poetry”, p.213, Random House

The children to whom we read simple stories may or may not show gratitude, but each boon we give strengthens the pillars of the world.

Gratitude, Children, Simple

Maya Angelou (2011). “Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now”, p.10, Bantam

There is a kind of strength that is almost frightening in Black women. It's as if a steel rod runs right through the head down to the feet.

Running, Feet, Black

1973 Television interview, 2 1Nov. Collected in Conversations with Maya Angelou (1989).

Let choice whisper in your ear and love murmur in your heart. Be ready. Here comes life.

Love, Life, Heart

FaceBook post by Maya Angelou from Oct 03, 2011

People are too busy putting things under microscopes and so forth. Creativity is greater than the sum of its parts.

Creativity, People, Busy

People have to feel needed. Frequently, we just offer a job and 'perks.' We don't always offer people a purpose. When people feel there is a purpose and that they're needed, there's not much else to do except let them do the work.

Jobs, People, Purpose

I can see in the acorn the oak tree. I see the growth, the rebuilding, the restoring. I see that is the American psyche. There is so much we can draw understanding from. One of the lessons is the development of courage. Because without courage, you can't practice any of the other virtues consistently.

Courage, Practice, Tree

I will write on the pages of history what I want them to say. I will be myself. I will speak my own name.

Writing, Names, Want

I've had people explain to me what one of my poems meant, and I've been surprised that it means that to them. If a person can use a poem of mine to interpret her life or his life, good. I can't control that. Nor would I want to.

Good Life, Mean, People

FaceBook post by Maya Angelou from Oct 04, 2012

I wasn't a pretty girl. I was six feet tall at 15, you know.

Girl, Feet, Six

Interview with Oprah Winfrey, www.oprah.com. May 2013.

I don't think there's such a thing as autobiographical fiction. If I say it happened, it happened, even if only in my mind.

Thinking, Mind, Fiction

I liked to write from the time I was about 12 or 13. I loved to read. And since I only spoke to my brother, I would write down my thoughts. And I think I wrote some of the worst poetry west of the Rockies. But by the time I was in my 20s, I found myself writing little essays and more poetry - writing at writing.

Brother, Writing, Thinking

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