66 Most Memorable Maya Angelou Quotes

Maya Angelou Quotes is a large collection of quotes from Maya Angelou the American Icon who left an indelible mark on literature and civil rights activism. Her life’s work includes various fields like that of Poetry, memoirist, and actress. So her quotes have been taken from all the literature she has offered in her literary career,

I am sure you will enjoy this extensive list of carefully collected Maya Angelou Quotes So let’s get to the main point!

About Maya Angelou

Before going into Maya Angelou’s Quotes, we should aptly know about our Author herself first. Maya Angelou an internationally recognized and acclaimed Literary figure. She has written focusing on her childhood and early adult experiences. her first autobiography  “I Know Why Caged Bird Sings” took him to new heights.

Over the years as a literary figure, She has made a large movement and been respected as a spokesperson for black people and women. Her works are widely used in schools, and universities worldwide, although they have faced many restrictions and have been attempted to be banned from some US Libraries.

In any case, Maya Angelou’s life story is a testament to her resilience, talent, and unwavering commitment to social justice. We too hope that by reading Maya Angelou’s Quotes you can get a better understanding of how she lived.

Maya Angelou Quotes

We have listed here 66 quotes taken from Maya Angelou’s extensive career in literature. Her themes explore economic, racial, and sexual oppression, these Maya Angelou Quotes would also give you a feeling of perspective that has been reflected through Maya Angelou’s literature.

“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.”

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

“What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.”

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

“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.”

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. Please remember that your difficulties do not define you. They simply strengthen your ability to overcome.”

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

“Open your eyes to the beauty around you, open your mind to the wonders of life, open your heart to those who love you, and always be true to yourself.”

“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise!”

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”

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

“You alone are enough, you have nothing to prove to anybody.”

“The things you are passionate about are not random, they are your calling.”

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”

“Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”

“Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it.”

“When you do nothing you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.”

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”

“I don’t trust people who don’t love themselves and tell me, ‘I love you.’ … There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.”

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”

“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.”

“Nothing will work unless you do.”

“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.”

“A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.”

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”

“If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”

“Every journey begins with a single step.”

“Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space. Invite one to stay.”

“Its not where your dreams take you, it’s where you take your dreams.”

“Each one of us has lived through some devastation, some loneliness, some weather superstorm or spiritual superstorm, when we look at each other we must say, I understand. I understand how you feel because I have been there myself. We must support each other and empathize with each other because each of us is more alike than we are unalike.”

“All great achievements require time.”

“All men are prepared to accomplish the incredible if their ideals are threatened.”

“Anything that works against you can also work for you once you understand the Principle of Reverse.”

“Determine to live life with flair and laughter.”

“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 you.”

“We need much less than we think we need.”

“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.”

“When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”

“We are only as blind as we want to be.”

“Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time.”

“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.”

Love life. Engage in it. Give it all you’ve got. Love it with a passion because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it.”

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” — Maya Angelou

“When you wish someone joy, you wish them peace, love, prosperity, happiness… all the good things.”

“When you wish someone joy, you wish them peace, love, prosperity, happiness… all the good things.”

“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.”

“What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.”

“You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise!”

“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise!”

“If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?”

“Some people cannot see a good thing when it is right here, right now. Others can sense a good thing coming when it is days, months, or miles away.”

“We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends, and living our lives.”

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

“I don’t trust people who don’t love themselves and tell me, ‘I love you.’ There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.”

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

“Let me absorb the world’s variety and uniqueness.”

“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.”

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

“Determine to live life with flair and laughter.”

“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 you.”

These Maya Angelou Quotes reflect her profound understanding of life and her gift of encouragement for us to live authentically and passionately. I am sure these Maya Angelou Quotes will continue to inspire and challenge us to be better individuals.

That’s all for now, Maya Angelou’s Quotes are a large part of understanding Maya Angelou herself but if you want to have a deeper understanding of her You can browse through our Collection of Books and more to get a deeper perspective of understanding.