Maya Angelou, a revered poet, author, and civil rights activist, left an enduring legacy through her powerful words and insights. Her quotes continue to inspire and motivate people around the world, touching on themes of love, courage, resilience, and the human spirit.
In this blog post, we’ve compiled the most profound and inspiring quotes from Maya Angelou. Let these words of wisdom empower you on your journey through life.
Best Maya Angelou Quotes
“You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.”
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
“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.”
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”
“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”
“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.”
“When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”
Inspirational Maya Angelou Quotes
“I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.”
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.”
“Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
“If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.”
“I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.”
Thought-Provoking Maya Angelou Quotes
“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.”
“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”
“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
“We are only as blind as we want to be.”
“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
“We need much less than we think we need.”
“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential.”
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
“The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.”
“We can learn to see each other and see ourselves in each other and recognize that human beings are more alike than we are unalike.”
Deep Maya Angelou Quotes
“I work really hard, and I love my craft. But I don’t want to be confined to my craft. I want to use it as a window to my soul.”
“If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”
“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”
“We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.”
“The greatest gift we can give to each other is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance.”
“Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant.”
“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”
“My life has been long, and believing that life loves the liver of it, I have dared to try many things, sometimes trembling, but daring still.”
“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”
“The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.”
Encouraging Maya Angelou Quotes
“I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.”
“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”
“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.”
“Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls.”
“We are all human; therefore, nothing human can be alien to us.”
“I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too.”
“I got my own back.”
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.”
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”
“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”
“Determine to live life with flair and laughter.”
“Success is loving life and daring to live it.”
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
“I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.”
“Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.”
“We must create a climate where people agree that human beings are more alike than unalike.”
“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.”
Positive Maya Angelou Quotes
“This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.”
“You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot—it’s all there.”
“I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.”
“If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.”
“Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it.”
“It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.”
“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.”
“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: ‘I’m with you kid. Let’s go.'”
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
Maya Angelou’s famous quotes provide a wealth of wisdom, courage, and inspiration. Her words encourage us to embrace our strengths, cherish our humanity, and live life with passion and purpose.
These powerful quotes capture the essence of her teachings and continue to inspire countless individuals to strive for a better, more compassionate world.
Let these quotes serve as a reminder of the power of resilience, love, and self-acceptance in your own life.