Home / Authors / Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou Quotes

Author

Maya Angelou was an American author, poet, playwright, actress, and lecturer, known for her profound exploration of race, gender, and culture in her work. Her autobiographical works, including 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' which detailed her early life of poverty and sexual exploitation, have gained widespread acclaim.

Filter quotes by topic

All Ifs Inspirational People Knows Life Thinking Phenomenal Woman Persons Trying Humans

Famous Maya Angelou Quotes

“I think a number of the leaders are, whether you like it or not, in the hip-hop generation. And when they understand enough, they'll do wonders. I count on them.”

Thinking Enough Numbers Leader Wonder Generations Hip Hop Hips Hops You Like It

Author:Maya Angelou

“It's still scary every time I go back to the past. Each morning, my heart catches. When I get there, I remember how the light was, where the draft was coming from, what odors were in the air. When I write, I get all the weeping out.”

Writing Heart Stills Light Past Remember Morning Air My Heart Scary Weeping Odor

Author:Maya Angelou

“I am never proud to participate in violence, yet I know that each of us must care enough for ourselves that we can be ready and able to come to our own defence when and wherever needed.”

Knows Enough Care Able Violence Ready Proud Needed Defence

Book:Letter to My Daughter

Source: Letter to My Daughter

“I read the Bible to myself; I'll take any translation, any edition, and read it aloud, just to hear the language, hear the rhythm, and remind myself how beautiful English is.”

Beautiful Language Rhythm Translations

Author:Maya Angelou

“Our stories come from our lives and from the playwright's pen, the mind of the actor, the roles we create, the artistry of life itself and the quest for peace.”

Mind Stories Actors Roles Our Lives Identity Pens Quests Playwright Artistry

Author:Maya Angelou

“At our best, we are all teachers”

Author:Maya Angelou

“I want to be representative of my race-the human race. I have a chance to show how kind we can be, how intelligent and generous we can be.”

Want Humans Kind Shows Chance Race Intelligent Human Race Generous Representatives

Author:Maya Angelou

“We have to confront ourselves. Do we like what we see in the mirror? And, according to our light, according to our understanding, according to our courage, we will have to say yea or nay - and rise!”

Inspirational Light Understanding Mirrors

Author:Maya Angelou

“When a person is going through hell, and she encounters someone who went through hellish hell and survived, then she can say, 'Mine is not so bad as all that. She came through, and so can I.'”

Persons Hell Mines Encounters Survived

Author:Maya Angelou

“When younger writers and poets, musicians and painters are weakened by a stemming of funds, they come to me saddened, not as full of dreams and excitement and ideas. I am then weakened and diminished, and made less rich.”

Made Ideas Dream Rich Poet Musician Painter Excitement Fund Saddened Writers And Poets

Author:Maya Angelou

“All of us knows, not what is expedient, not what is going to make us popular, not what the policy is, or the company policy - but in truth each of us knows what is the right thing to do. And that's how I am guided.”

Knows Company Policy Things To Do Right Thing

Author:Maya Angelou

“And if a person is religious, I think it's good, it helps you a bit. But if you're not, at least you can have the sense that there is a condition inside you which looks at the stars with amazement and awe.”

Ifs Thinking Looks Persons Helping Stars Bits Religious Conditions Awe Amazement

Author:Maya Angelou

“Early on, I was so impressed with Charles Dickens. I grew up in the South, in a little village in Arkansas, and the whites in my town were really mean, and rude. Dickens, I could tell, wouldn't be a man who would curse me out and talk to me rudely.”

Men Mean Littles Grew Grew Up Towns South Curse Village Impressed Rude Be A Man Really Mean Talk To Me Dickens Arkansas

Author:Maya Angelou

“Easy reading is damn hard writing. But if it's right, it's easy. It's the other way round, too. If it's slovenly written, then it's hard to read. It doesn't give the reader what the careful writer can give the reader.”

Ifs Way Giving Writing Hard Reading Easy Written Reader Rounds Careful Damn

Author:Maya Angelou

“One isn't born with courage. One develops it by doing small courageous things.”

Born Courageous

Author:Maya Angelou

“Everybody born comes from the Creator trailing wisps of glory. We come from the Creator with creativity. I think that each one of us is born with creativity.”

Thinking Born Creativity Glory Creator Wisps

Author:Maya Angelou

“For a person who grew up in the '30s and '40s in the segregated South, with so many doors closed without explanation to me, libraries and books said, 'Here I am, read me.' Over time I have learned I am at my best around books.”

“I do like to have guns around. I don't like to carry them. But I like - if somebody is going to come into my house and I have not put out the welcome mat, I want to stop them.”

Ifs Want House Gun Welcome

Author:Maya Angelou

“I know some people might think it odd - unworthy even - for me to have written a cookbook, but I make no apologies. The U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins thought I had demeaned myself by writing poetry for Hallmark Cards, but I am the people's poet so I write for the people.”

People Thinking Knows Writing Might Written Poet Cards Odd Apology Unworthy Hallmark Writing Poetry Cookbook Hallmark Card

Author:Maya Angelou

“I never expected anyone to take care of me, but in my wildest dreams and juvenile yearnings, I wanted the house with the picket fence from June Allyson movies. I knew that was yearning like one yearns to fly.”

Dream Care Wanted House Take Care Expected Yearning Fence June Juvenile Wildest Dreams Take Care Of Me Picket Fences

Author:Maya Angelou

“I'm a serious aficionada of country music - Reba McEntire, Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry. I've even written some songs. They haven't done anything of mine yet. But it's only a matter of time.”

Country Matter Done Song Written Havens Mines Serious Keith Montgomery Matter Of Time Toby

Author:Maya Angelou

“If you were the President of the United States or the Queen of England - you couldn't have a person who would be more protective than my mother was for me. Which meant really that I could dare to do all sorts of things.”

Ifs Persons States Would Be Mother President United United States England Dare Queens Protective Queen Of England

Author:Maya Angelou

“If you will have a person enslaved, the first thing you must do is convince yourself that the person is subhuman. The second thing you have to do is convince your allies so you'll have some help, and the third and probably unkindest cut of all is to convince that person that he or she is subhuman and deserves it.”

Ifs Firsts Persons Helping Cutting Deserve Thirds Convince Allies

Author:Maya Angelou

“Like a pianist runs her fingers over the keys, I'll search my mind for what to say. Now, the poem may want you to write it. And then sometimes you see a situation and think, 'I'd like to write about that.' Those are two different ways of being approached by a poem, or approaching a poem.”

Thinking Way Want Writing Mind May Two Different Sometimes Running Situation Keys Fingers Different Ways Pianist

Author:Maya Angelou

“Of course, there are those critics - New York critics as a rule - who say, 'Well, Maya Angelou has a new book out and of course it's good but then she's a natural writer.' Those are the ones I want to grab by the throat and wrestle to the floor because it takes me forever to get it to sing. I work at the language.”

Want Wells Book Courses Language Natural Forever New York Critics Take Me Throat New Books Angelou

Author:Maya Angelou

“That's the biggest gift I can give anybody: 'Wake up, be aware of who you are, what you're doing and what you can do to prevent yourself from becoming ill.'”

Giving I Can Can Do Becoming Wake Up Who You Are Ill

Author:Maya Angelou

“Every Day you should reach out and touch someone”

Should Kind Kindness I've Learned Reach Out Hug I Have Learned Open Heart Human Kindness Kisses And Hugs Touch Someone

Author:Maya Angelou

“To take a few nouns, and a few pronouns, and adverbs and adjectives, and put them together, ball them up, and throw them against the wall to make them bounce. That's what Norman Mailer did. That's what James Baldwin did, and Joan Didion did, and that's what I do - that's what I mean to do.”

Mean Together Wall Balls Bounce Adjectives Nouns Pronouns Adverbs

Author:Maya Angelou

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. People know themselves much better than you do. That's why it's important to stop expecting them to be something other than who they are”

People Knows Firsts Believe Important Shows First Time Expecting Better Than You

Author:Maya Angelou

“We must infuse our lives with art. Our national leaders must be informed that we want them to use our taxes to support street theatre in order to oppose street gangs. We should have a well-supported regional theatre in order to oppose regionalism and.”

Want Should Wells Art Use Order Leader Support Our Lives Streets Taxes Should Have Theatre Gang Regionalism

Author:Maya Angelou

“Shakespeare must be a black girl.”

Girl Black Black Girl

Author:Maya Angelou

“You build your 'COURAGE MUSCLE' daily, by being courageous in little things. Just do right.”

Littles Muscles Courageous Little Things

Author:Maya Angelou

“Let me tell so much truth. I want to tell the truth in my work. The truth will lead me to all.”

Want Let Me Telling The Truth Leading Me Wise Women

Author:Maya Angelou

“Love is many things. It is varied. One thing love is not, is unsure.”

Love Is One Thing Unsure

Author:Maya Angelou

“I live in an atmosphere of music.”

Author:Maya Angelou

“You think you may not be heard. Speak anyway.”

Thinking May Speak Heard

Author:Maya Angelou

“When we decide to be happy we accept the responsibility to bring happiness to someone else. Some decide that happiness and glee are the same thing, they are not. When we choose happiness we accept the responsibility to lighten the load of someone else and to be a light on the path to another who may be walking in darkness.”

May Light Motivational Responsibility Accepting Darkness Path Walking Happy Load Being Happy Light And Dark Glee Do Unto Others Happiness Is A Choice

Author:Maya Angelou

“Creativity or talent, like electricity, is something I don't understand but something I'm able to harness and use.”

Use Able Creativity Talent Electricity Harness

Book:Conversations with Maya Angelou

Source: Conversations with Maya Angelou

“Give yourself time just to be with yourself.”

Author:Maya Angelou

“I have great respect for the past. If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going. I have respect for the past, but I'm a person of the moment. I'm here, and I do my best to be completely centered at the place I'm at, then I go forward to the next place.”

Ifs Knows Persons Moments Past Next Great Respect

Author:Maya Angelou

“The most noble cause known to man is the liberation of the human mind and spirit.”

Men Mind Humans Spirit Causes Known Noble Liberation Human Mind Noble Causes

Author:Maya Angelou

“Each of us has the power and responsibility to become a rainbow in the clouds.”

Responsibility Clouds Rainbow Power And Responsibility

Author:Maya Angelou

“You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”

Practice Courage Virtue Courageous Consistently Have Courage Be Courageous Aries Courage To Love Love And Courage

Author:Maya Angelou

“We need language to tell us who we are, how we feel, what we're capable of- to explain the pains and glory of our existence.”

Needs Feels Pain Language Existence Capable Glory Who We Are

Author:Maya Angelou

“Forgiveness. It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody. You are relieved of carrying that burden of resentment. You really are lighter. You feel lighter. You just drop that.”

Giving Feels Forgiving Burden Resentment Black Women Greatest Gifts Lighters Relieved Phenomenal Woman

Author:Maya Angelou

“I am the dream and the hope of the slave”

Source: Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women

“There's a place in you that you must keep inviolate. You must keep it pristine. Clean. So that nobody has a right to curse you or treat you badly. Nobody. No mother, father, no wife, no husband, no-nobody. You have to have a place where you say: 'Stop it. Back up. Don't you know I'm a child of God?”

Knows Children Mother Father Wife Husband Treats Clean Curse Thought Provoking Deep Thought Child Of God Pristine

Author:Maya Angelou

“We are not our brother’s keeper we are our brother and we are our sister. We must look past complexion and see community.”

Looks Past Community Brother Togetherness Sister Keepers Unity In Diversity Complexion

Author:Maya Angelou

“Life is a glorious banquet, a limitless and delicious buffet.”

Life Is Glorious Delicious Limitless Buffets Banquets

Author:Maya Angelou

“Dare to let your dreams reach beyond you...”

Dream Dare Your Dreams

Author:Maya Angelou

About the Author

Born: April 4, 1928
Died: May 28, 2014
Known for: Author
Quotes: 1180

Related Topics

Ifs Inspirational People Knows Life Thinking Phenomenal Woman Persons Trying Humans

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsRelated source material

Letter to My DaughterRelated source material

The Collected Autobiographies of Maya AngelouRelated source material

Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey NowRelated source material

Conversations with Maya AngelouRelated source material

The Complete PoetryRelated source material

The Heart of a WomanRelated source material

Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya AngelouRelated source material

Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like ChristmasRelated source material

A Song Flung Up to HeavenRelated source material

Similar Authors

Oprah WinfreyBrowse related quotes
Eleanor RooseveltBrowse related quotes
Marilyn MonroeBrowse related quotes
Joel OsteenBrowse related quotes
Alice WalkerBrowse related quotes
Neale Donald WalschBrowse related quotes
Toni MorrisonBrowse related quotes
Paulo CoelhoBrowse related quotes
Tony RobbinsBrowse related quotes
John LennonBrowse related quotes