Celebrating Maya Angelou

The celebrated American poet and memoirist Maya Angelou (1928-2014).

She wrote about racism, trauma, identity, and the strength to rebuild a life. She wrote about boundaries, self-respect, resilience, kindness, and courage.

Her best-known memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells the story of her childhood and adolescence.

Her poems “Still I Rise” and “Phenomenal Woman” celebrate dignity, resilience, and confidence.

She worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

In 1993, she read her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration.

I painted her. I needed to give her a tribute for her inspiring works!

Let's see some of her memorable quotes:

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

“The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

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

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

“Nothing will work unless you do.”

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

"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."

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

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."

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

“Still, like air, I’ll rise.”

“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.”

“Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art.”

“I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.”

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”

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

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”

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

“When we find someone who is brave, fun, intelligent, and loving, we have to thank the universe.”

“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”

“If one has courage, nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”

“Be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.”

“If I could give you one thought, it would be to lift someone up. Lift a stranger up—lift her up. I would ask you, mother and father, brother and sister, lovers, mother and daughter, father and son, lift someone. The very idea of lifting someone up will lift you, as well.”

“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”

Great ocean of wisdom. Don't you think? I hope that you liked to see her art and to read her quotes.