Maya Angelou

I’m not a writer who writes. I’m a writer who reads.

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels.

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.

I always say that I'm a human being, and I'm a woman, and I'm a black woman, and I'm a writer, and I'm a poet, and I'm a dancer, and I'm a singer, and I'm a mother, and I'm a grandmother, and I'm a great-grandmother. And I'm a teacher. And I'm a friend. And I'm a lover. And I'm a fighter. And I'm a survivor. And I'm a healer. And I'm a human being.

The first time I read a book, I cried. The first time I wrote a book, I cried. It's a wonderful feeling.

I don't trust people who don't laugh.

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.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.

I know for sure that as you have the courage to make a choice, you have the courage to live with the results of that choice.

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

I'm a Christian. I'm a black woman. I'm a writer. I'm a poet. I'm a dancer. I'm a singer. I'm a mother. I'm a grandmother. I'm a great-grandmother. I'm a friend. I'm a lover. I'm a fighter. I'm a survivor. I'm a healer. And I'm a human being.

The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.

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

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'.

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

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

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.

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

Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.

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