Quotes from Maya Angelou
Feb 28th, 2012 by admin
Maya is America’s Renaissance Woman. Poet, historian, singer, dancer, director, activist—many other “labels” apply yet they do not even begin to tell the story of this remarkable woman who turns 84 this year.
How I happened to be thinking about her is that I was commenting on someone’s post and left a quote by Maya. After I did so, I thought about how often I use her quotes be it in a post of mine, in a comment or as a thought for the day to share with friends.
Because of her life experiences, she gained incredible insights on oh-so-many topics. Because she honed her skills as a writer, she is able to convey her thoughts in powerful messages.
Maya paints word pictures that speak to us. If we would follow her advice, we would, I believe, have a greater appreciation for our lives and would know what to do to make them better.
Enough of my comments. Enjoy reading these quotes from a word weaver extraordinaire.
1. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
2. Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.
3. Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.
4. You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
5. One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
6. My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry, to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.
7. Love is that condition of the human spirit so profound that it empowers us to develop courage, to trust that courage and build bridges with it, to trust those bridges and cross over them so we can attempt to reach each other.
8. Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.
9. If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.
10. The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.
11. If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.
12. We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, bur rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
13. Nothing will work unless you do.
14. Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.
15. The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.
16. I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.
17. When you learn, teach, when you get, give.
18. While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God’s creation.
19. Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.
20. I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. 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 regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. 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 something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
In closing, my wish for you is that your mission is as Maya Angelou’s:
21. 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.
Are you a fan of Maya’s?
Which quote speaks to you?
Do you have a favorite to add to the collection?
Culled from Janet Callaway(The Natural Networker)