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Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou Quotes

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Famous Maya Angelou Quotes

“Find something you like, go into a room, close the door and read it aloud. Read it aloud. Everybody in the world who likes dance can see dance, or hear music, or see art, or admire architecture - but everybody in the world uses words who is not a recluse or mute. But the writer has to take these most common things, more common than musical notes or dance positions, a writer has to take some adverbs, and verbs and nouns and ball them up together and make them bounce.”

WorldArtUseTogetherRoomsCommonDoorsPositionBallsNotesMusicalArchitectureLikesAdmireVerbsBounceMuteNounsRecluseCommon ThingsAdverbsMusical Notes
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“All of my history as an African-American woman, as a Jewish woman, as a Muslim woman. I'm bringing everything I ever knew, and all the stories I've read - everything good, strong, kind and powerful. I bring it all with me into every situation, and I will not allow my life to be minimized by anybody's racism or sexism or ageism.”

KindStoriesStrongPowerfulSituationRacismAfrican AmericanSexismAmerican WomanAfrican American WomenAgeismMuslim Women
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“When my grandmother died, I realized that even if I had millions of dollars, I couldn't find her anywhere on earth. My next thought was that I would die. I looked at my life and thought, "I'm afraid to die." I concluded that whether I was afraid or not, I would die. It was one of the most important crossroads in my life, once I realized that no matter what, I would do this thing, the next step was to think, "If I am going to do the most difficult and frightening thing - dying - is it possible that I could do some difficult and impossible things that are good?"”

IfsThinkingImportantMatterEarthDiesNextDifficultStepsMillionsImpossibleDyingDiedNo Matter WhatDollarsI RealizedGrandmotherFrighteningMy GrandmotherNext StepsCrossroadsImpossible ThingsMother Died
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“I thought I'm going to die. So why can't I do everything? And what is this idea that I worked all day yesterday, so I'm tired today? I've never believed that.I thought, "Just suppose I could choreograph a ballet." And I did it. Suppose I could teach dance at the theater in Cleveland. And I did it. Suppose I could sing for a living - that I could stop these two jobs as a waitress and a salesperson.”

TwoIdeasTodayJobsDiesTeachTheaterTiredYesterdayBalletI'm TiredWaitressClevelandSalespersonTwo Jobs
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“Reduce your humanity through what Jules Feiffer called little murders. The minute I hear someone trying to demean me, I know that that person means to have my life. And I will not give it to them. When a person commits these little murders, and then you catch him or her at it, he or she might say, "Oh, I didn't mean it." But make no mistake: It is an assassination attempt.”

KnowsGivingTryingMeanLittlesPersonsMightHumanityMistakeMinutesMurderCommitAssassination
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“I believe that a negative statement is poison.I'm convinced that the negative has power. It lives. And if you allow it to perch in your house, in your mind, in your life, it can take you over. So when the rude or cruel thing is said - the lambasting, the gay bashing, the hate - I say, "Take it all out of my house!" Those negative words climb into the woodwork and into the furniture, and the next thing you know they'll be on my skin.”

IfsKnowsMindBelieveSaidHateNextHouseI BelieveGayNegativeSkinsConvincedStatementsPoisonClimbsRudeFurnitureNegative Words
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“I love a statement by the apostle Paul, in the Book of Philippians in the Bible. I think the Corinthians had been writing to Paul, telling him that old men were chasing young women, nobody was tithing - and all that must have run Paul crazy. He wrote back and said, "If there be anything of good report, speak of these things." That's one of my principles.It's another discipline that I encourage myself to employ - to, as much as possible, say the courteous thing, and then be it.”

IfsThinkingMenWritingSaidBookRunningYoungSpeakPrinciplesCrazyDisciplineStatementsReportsOld ManYoung WomenChasingApostlesCourteousApostle PaulTithingCorinthians
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“Among other things, I'm thinking "I'm a child of God." That's amazing. And "I'm not only a child of God, but God loves me." The hardest part for me is to realize that while God loves me, and I am a child of God, I have to see the bigot and the brute and the rapist, and whether he or she knows it or not, I have to know that that person is a child of God. That is part of the responsibility - and it's hard.”

ThinkingKnowsChildrenPersonsHardRealizingResponsibilityHardestGod LoveBrutesChild Of GodBigotsGod Loves Me
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“Being thankful helps you to be present.People commit errors because they are not present.I would encourage women and men to be present - you'll avoid falling into certain pits.For instance, if you know that a person has just lost his wife or her husband or lover, it's unlikely that you will say something that will hurt that person's feelings if you're truly paying attention. You'll make a sweeter life for yourself and for those around you if you are present.”

PeopleIfsKnowsMenPersonsHelpingFeelingsCertainFallLostHurtAttentionWifeLoversHusbandMen And WomenErrorsCommitInstancePay AttentionUnlikelyBeing ThankfulPits
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“There are great parents of small children - they keep their little hair in bows - but those parents are not always good parents of young adults. As soon as their children get up to some size, it's "Shut up, sit down, you talk too much, keep your distance, I'll send you to Europe!" My mom was a terrible parent of small children but a great parent of young adults. She'd talk to me as if I had some sense.”

IfsChildrenLittlesYoungParentToo MuchHairMomTerribleAdultsEuropeDistanceYoung AdultSizeMy MomGet UpBowsShut UpTalk To MeSmall ChildGood ParentGreat Parents
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“"Baby, you know?" my mother once said to me. "I think you're the greatest woman I've ever met - and I'm not including my mother or Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt in that." She said, "You are very intelligent and you're very kind, and those two qualities do not often go together." Then she went across the street and got in her car, and I went the other way down to the streetcar. I thought, "Suppose she's right. She's intelligent - and she's too mean to lie." You see, a parent has the chance - and maybe the responsibility - to liberate her child. And my mom had liberated me when I was 17.”

ThinkingKnowsWayKindMeanChildrenSaidTwoTogetherLyingMotherParentChanceQualityResponsibilityStreetsCarBabyMomMetsIntelligentIncludingMy MomLiberatedEleanor
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“My mother had said me, "All right, you've been raised, so don't let anybody else raise you. You know the difference between right and wrong. Do right. And remember - you can always come home." And she continued to liberate me until she died. On the night she died, I went to the hospital. I told my mom, "Let me tell you about yourself. You deserved a great daughter, and you got one. And you liberated me to be one. So if it's time for you to go, you may have done everything God brought you here to do."”

IfsKnowsMaySaidDoneHomeRememberMotherNightDifferencesMomDaughterLet MeDiedRaisesRaisedMy MomComing HomeHospitalsAbout YourselfLiberatedRemember YouRemembers You
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“If you want to liberate someone, love them.Not be in love with them - that's dangerous. If you're in love with your children, you're in their lives all the time. Leave them alone! Let them grow and make some mistakes. Tell them, "You can come home. My arms are here - and my mouth is too." When you really love them, you don't want to possess them. You don't say, "I love you and I want you here with me."”

IfsWantChildrenHomeGrowsMistakeLove YouDangerousArmsMouthsOur ChildrenYour ChildrenComing HomeI Want YouOne LoveSay I Love You
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“Naturally, if you love somebody, you do want to see their face every now and again, but that's not a condition of your love. People often get possession mixed up with love, and they say, "If you really loved me, you would call me." How - when life is going on? I think of you all the time, and the thought of you always lifts my spirits. But I'm not right at the phone!”

PeopleIfsThinkingWantFacesLife IsSpiritConditionsPhonesPossessionLiftsCall MeThink Of YouThoughts Of YouI Think Of You
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“When I love somebody, I like him to be around; I like him to take me out to dinner; I like to look at the sunset with him. But if not, I love him and I hope he's looking at the same sun I am. Loving someone liberates the lover as well as the beloved. And that kind of love comes with age. Some of this wisdom came to me after I was 50 or 60.”

IfsWellsLooksKindAgeSunLoversDinnerBelovedSunsetTake MeLoving SomeoneI Love HimKinds Of LoveI Like Him
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“In the fifties, you have your beauty as a treat. I thought that until I hit the sixties.In your sixties, life decides to reward you with certain kinds of profound appreciation, so that people name their children and schools and libraries after you! And you still have your sexuality and your sensuality. If you want your sexuality, you still have it.”

PeopleIfsWantKindChildrenStillsSchoolCertainNamesTreatsProfoundRewardsLibraryAppreciationSexualitySensualitySixty
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“If you have a napkin, you need another napkin to receive back all the blessings you'll get. And you keep giving. Then you need a towel to receive all the gifts. And you continue giving. Finally, you need a tablecloth. And you continue giving - not stupidly, but you give. And when you give, you finally have to move out and get a second house, and a third house and a fourth.It is a no - fail, incontrovertible reality: If you get, give. If you learn, teach. You can't do anything with that except do it.”

IfsNeedsGivingRealityMovingHouseTeachFailingBlessingThirdsFourthTowelsNot StupidNapkinsBlessing You
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“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

InspirationalSelfMotivationalHappinessSuccessMotivationFearInspiringBusinessSuccessfulTeacherEntrepreneurPerseveranceAppreciationAccomplishLikesEntrepreneurshipAfrican AmericanMoving OnAccomplishedBeing SuccessfulSelf MotivationLove YourselfSuccessful PeopleSuccess In LifeBlack WomenKey To SuccessBlack HistoryFollow Your HeartRoad To SuccessRecipe For SuccessBe True To YourselfListen To Your HeartBig BusinessMotivational BusinessMotivational SuccessListen To YourselfSuccesWise WomenInspirational SuccessBest SuccessMeasure Of SuccessCareer SuccessGreatest SuccessBest BusinessWill To SucceedDefinition Of SuccessPhenomenal WomanDrive And SuccessLiking SomeoneHard Work SuccessReaching SuccessHard Work Comes SuccessOpportunity For SuccessLife MotivationSuccess And LifeHard Work And SuccessSucceeding In BusinessDefine SuccessBlack MotivationalEnvy And SuccessSpiritual SuccessAmerican SuccessFriday MorningBe The Kind Of Woman
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“I am a Woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman, that's me.”

InspirationalMotivationalStrongWomenInspiringBusinessFeminismPoetFemaleEmpoweringWomen EmpowermentStrong WomenEmpowering WomenBeing A WomanPhenomenalFamous WomenEmpowered WomenWomen Empowering WomenInspirational WomenInspirational Strong WomenInternational Women's DayStrong Women And LoveI Am StrongPhenomenal WomanI Am WomanInternational Women DayWomans DayInspirational FeministBest PoetryProud WomanBetter WomanEmpowering Female
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“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.”

PeopleInspirationalWellsMotivationalEyeSuccessMotivationWomenGoalCan DoWealthMoneyBusinessRichesPursueAfrican AmericanMaking MoneyMoving OnThoughtfulAccomplishedMondayDo The BestRich PeopleBest WorkWealth CreationLoving LifeGet MoneyLove Of MoneyMake You Feel GoodMotivational WorkRich MoneyBecome RichSomething You LoveWise MoneyGood MoneyInspirational MoneyThings You LoveChange Your AttitudeMoney Can't Buy HappinessMakin MoneyBest MoneyOld MoneyBlack History InspirationalFeeling DownGreatest WealthWork You LoveWork LoveInspirational Money MakingYou Can't Change PeopleAccomplishing SomethingLove And MoneyCreating ThingsSuccess And MoneySuccess MoneyMoney Doesn't Buy HappinessSmart MoneyAccomplish Your GoalsHappy Womens DayI Love MoneyWork And Money
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“We, unaccustomed to courage exiles from delight live coiled in shells of loneliness until love leaves its high holy temple and comes into our sight to liberate us into life. Love arrives and in its train come ecstasies old memories of pleasure ancient histories of pain. Yet if we are bold, love strikes away the chains of fear from our souls. We are weaned from our timidity In the flush of love's light we dare be brave And suddenly we see that love costs all we are and will ever be. Yet it is only love which sets us free.”

IfsLoveSoulLightAgePainReligionMemoriesPleasureLonelinessHolyCostSightTrainBraveAncientDelightDareStrikesChainsTemplesLove LifeEcstasyShellsBe BraveExileOnly LoveTimidityAncient HistoryOld Memories
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“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.”

PeopleWayLifeInspirationalPersonsLightThreeLostInspiringTreeParentingHandleChristmasLive LifeI've LearnedThoughtfulI Have LearnedThree ThingsLoving LifeRainyRainy DayOpen HeartTangledThings I've LearnedChristmas TreeLuggageForget EverythingRaining DayLearned PersonChristmas LightsForget The Pain
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“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”

LifeInspirationalHumorLife IsPassionInspiringPowerfulCompassionStyleInspirational LifeLife PhilosophyEmpathyMissionsAfrican AmericanLive LifeMoving OnMeaning Of LifeThriveSympathyLiving My LifeEnjoy LifeBlack WomenSurvivingMy PassionPhenomenalWise WomenLife Worth LivingLive With PassionFollow Your PassionCelebrate LifeMissions In LifeFollowing DreamsPhenomenal WomanPassion For LifeCourage To LovePassion And SuccessLife Is GreatLove And CourageAim Of LifeDreams And PassionInspirational PassionLife And PassionRemembering HerWill To Survive
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“Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size But when I start to tell them, They think I'm telling lies. I say, It's in the reach of my arms The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.”

ThinkingLyingWomenSecretWonderStepsFashionIdentityArmsModelsBuiltLipsSizeSuitsHipsCutePhenomenalStrideCurlsPretty WomanPhenomenal WomanTelling LiesFashion Model
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