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Quote by Maya Angelou

“I thought about black women and wondered how we got to be the way we were. In our country, white men were always in superior positions; after them came white women, then black men, then black women, who were historically on the bottom stratum. How did it happen that we could nurse a nation of strangers, be maids to multitudes of people who scorned us, and still walk with some majesty and stand with a degree of pride?”

Quote by Maya Angelou

Work

A Song Flung Up to Heaven

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Author

Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou

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. more

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“It's not going to be easy," she says, looking up at me. "it's probably going to get a lot harder before it gets easier. No one can change what you did or what has happened in the past." I lower my head and start to cry again. "But-" she says so sharply that I have to look up at her again. "But you do have control over who you are no and how you carry yourself. Do you understand?”

“Only now do I understand what true strength is. Strength is making a decision that goes against everything you believe in, a decision that causes your heart to scream out to you ‘NOOOOO!’, a decision that rips your soul apart ….. yet you still make that decision because it’s the only true course of love. That's strength”

“The greatest love, such as the troubadours proclaimed, also requires supremely challenging obstacles. It is by overcoming obstacles that we transform ourselves into higher beings, that we find the deepest love and discover our inner hero. So, don’t flee from obstacles, don’t bemoan your fate. If you are faced with difficulties, smile! If you can beat the odds, you have a chance to become something astounding. Don’t run away. Tackle them head on.”