“Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.” 8. “If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?” 7. “I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.” 6. “If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.” 5. Passion alone will destroy its walls.” 4. Patience alone will not build the temple. “Seek patience and passion in equal amounts.

“We need much less than we think we need.” 3. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”Ģ. Here are some things we bet you didn’t know about her: Angelou was only the second poet to speak at a Presidential inauguration for Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 she was the screenwriter of the film Georgia, Georgia and directed 1998’s Down in the Delta she was a polyglot and spoke six languages and she was the first Black woman to conduct a cable car in San Francisco back when she was 16 years old.įor die-hard fans and for newbies getting their first taste of this icon, we have gone ahead and rounded up some of Angelou’s most famous quotes in the hopes their wisdom and depth leaves a mark like she did.ġ. In fact, Angelou’s writing and sayings are so ubiquitous you may recognize many of her wise quotes from other roundups of inspirational and motivational quotes about love, loss, life, and courage.Īngelou’s legacy as an award-winning poet, journalist, screenwriter, and Civil Rights activist is matched only by the richness of her life before her passing in 2014. White men adored them, Black men desired them and Black women worked for them.One of the most consequential and influential bards of the 20th century, Maya Angelou shattered barriers and penned the words that gave voice to the Black experience in America, the feminist movement, and a whole generation raised on her poems, essays, and memoirs. “As far as I knew white women were never lonely, except in books.

Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.” “Self-pity in its early stage is as snug as a feather mattress. “At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.” “We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders.” “I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God’s will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standard and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scale of responsibility at a commensurate speed.” Maya Angelou became one of the most renowned and influential voices of our time. Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Johnson on April 4th, 1928, in St. “Children’s talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.” “The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when unblunted by formal education.” “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. It is seldom accepted as an inevitable outcome of the struggle won by survivors, and deserves respect if not enthusiastic acceptance.” “The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerance. No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.” “For Africa to me … is more than a glamorous fact. In this collection we’ve also included what we feel are some of the most inspirational Angelou quotes. Many of Angelou’s speeches and writings have been made famous due to her activity in the Civil Rights movement. The following are a collection of our favorite Maya Angelou quotes.

Maya angelou quotes