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Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou Quotes

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Famous Maya Angelou Quotes

“The autobiographer looks at life through the lens of his or her own life and really uses herself or himself as the jumping-off place to examine the social mores and the economic and political climates. In a way, the autobiography becomes history as well as the story of one person, for it becomes the story of a family or the story of the state or nation.”

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“My doctor told me that I really should lose some weight. "You're mildly obese," he said. And I thought, "Well, who couldn't afford to lose 20 or 30 pounds?" He said, "Well, a person in your category." I said, "What is that category, doctor?" He said, "Well, you're what I call upwardly middle aged." And I said, "I forgive you for everything."”

ShouldWellsPersonsSaidLosesMiddleDoctorsWeightForgivingPoundsCategoriesMiddle AgesMiddle AgedObeseI Forgive You
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“My people couldn't have survived slavery without having hope that it would get better. And there's some songs from the 19th and 18th century that say [sings], "By and by, by and by, I will lay down, this heavy load." And I mean, so many songs that spoke of hope and understand it better by and by. Amazing songs. So that the slaves, just knowing that he, she, did not have the right legally to walk within one inch away from where the slave owner dictated, and yet the same person, wrote and sang with fervor, "If the lord wants somebody, here am I, send me." It's amazing.”

PeopleIfsWantMeanPersonsSongWalksLordKnowingCenturySlaveryLaysSlaveHeavyGet BetterOwnersSpokesInchesLoadSurvivedHaving Hope18th CenturyFervorSlave OwnersHeavy LoadsAmazing Song
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“If you have a person enslaved, the first thing you must do is to convince yourself that the person is subhuman. And won't mind the enslavement. The second thing you must do is convince your allies that the person is subhuman so that you have some support. But the third and the unkindest cut of all is to convince that person that he, she, is not quite a first class citizen.”

IfsMindFirstsPersonsClassSupportCuttingCitizensThirdsConvinceAlliesFirst ClassEnslavement
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“Indeed we have souls. 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. That listens to water with a river flowing, or water falling in rain and is lifted up by that and listens to a wonderful singer, wonderful musicians, listens to maybe Duke Ellington or Frank Sinatra or listens to Odetta and Mary J. Blige. Yes, and thinks whoo! And thinks, yes, hmm, all right now. My soul has been washed. I feel better, I feel stronger.”

IfsThinkingFeelsLooksPersonsHas BeensSoulHelpingFallStarsBitsWaterReligiousWonderfulConditionsRight NowMusicianRainRiversStrongerSingersMy SoulAweFrankMaryFeel BetterDukesAmazementHmmMary J Blige
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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.”

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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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“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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“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.”

PeopleLoveInspirationalPersonsLove YouTrustSelf LoveOffersTrue LoveCarefulNakedShirtsLove YourselfBe CarefulBlack WomenI Love YouTrust MeInsperationalDon't TrustI Loved YouLove And TrustPhenomenal WomanTrust IssuesI Trust YouI Love You So MuchTrust And RespectTrust LoveLoving PersonNot TrustingTrusting YouDon't Trust AnyoneHard To TrustTrusting PeopleI Don't Trust YouWho To TrustDon't Trust People
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“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.”

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Book:I Shall Not Be Moved: Poems
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“Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”

IfsNeedsPersonsProblemCareJobsPastPeaceOne DayEgoSolutionsDeserveAbsencePermitVacationNo ProblemEmployers
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“I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.”

WayNeedsHeartPersonsHandsLightAbleThreeLostDecisionTreeYogaHandleI've LearnedI Have LearnedThree ThingsRainyRainy DayOpen HeartTangledRight DecisionThings I've LearnedCatchersChristmas TreeLuggageMaking A LivingMake The Right Decision
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“I believe talent is like electricity. We don't understand electricity. We use it. You can plug into it and light up a lamp, keep a heart pump going, light a cathedral, or you can electrocute a person with it. Electricity will do all that. It makes no judgment. I think talent is like that. I believe every person is born with talent.”

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“In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don't have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don't need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you're sharing with.”

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“I'm not sure if resilience is ever achieved alone. Experience allows us to learn from example. But if we have someone who loves us-I don't mean who indulges us, but who loves us enough to be on our side-then it's easier to grow resilience, to grow belief in self, to grow self-esteem. And it's self-esteem that allows a person to stand up.”

IfsMeanPersonsSelfEnoughBeliefGrowsSidesSelf EsteemExampleEasierResilienceEsteemNot SureBlack WomenIndulgeNot AloneStand UpBelief In SelfPhenomenal Woman
Author:Maya Angelou
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“I would ask every man and every woman who's had the blessing of having children, 'Would you deny your son or your daughter the ecstasy of finding someone to love?' To love someone takes a lot of courage. So how much more is one challenged when the love is of the same sex and the laws say, 'I forbid you from loving this person'?”

MenChildrenPersonsLawAsksSexLove IsSonBlessingFindingsDaughterDenyEvery ManEcstasyLove SomeoneOur DaughterHaving ChildrenYour DaughterYour SonFinding Someone
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