Impactful words of Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014)
Maya Angelou born Marguerite Annie Johnson (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees.
Angelou was best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focused on her childhood and early adult experiences. She gave up speaking for six years of her life and still managed to say some impactful things in her lifetime.
Below are some of her words:
- “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet.”
2. “Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”
3. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
4.”I would like to be known as an intelligent woman, a courageous woman, a loving woman, a woman who teaches by being.”
5. “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
6. “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.”
7. “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”
8. “The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.”
9. “To those who have given up on love, I say, ‘Trust life a little bit.'”
10. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
11. “The question is not how to survive, but how to thrive with passion, compassion, humour and style.”
12. “When people show you who they are, believe them.”
13. “Just like moons and like suns, with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still I’ll rise.”
14. “My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness.”
15. “This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one ever before.”
16. “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”
