Maya Angelou Quotes

I'm just someone who likes cooking and for whom sh... -Maya Angelou

I'm just someone who likes cooking and for whom sharing food is a form of expression.

Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at ... -Maya Angelou

Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time.

Discovering the context

This quote likens love to a virus, suggesting that it can unexpectedly strike anyone at any moment. It reflects on the unpredictable and universal nature of love, which can affect people regardless of age, background, or circumstances.

I love wisdom. And you can never be great at anything unless you love it. Not be in love with it, but love the thing, admire the thing. And it seems that if you love the thing, and you don't just want to possess it, it will find you.

One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.

It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourse... -Maya Angelou

It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.

While the rest of the world has been improving technology, Ghana has been improving the quality of man's humanity to man.

I long for the time when all human history is taug... -Maya Angelou

I long for the time when all human history is taught as one history, because it really is.

At one time in my life, from the time I was seven until I was about 13, I didn't speak. I only spoke to my brother. The reason I didn't speak: I had been molested, and I told the name of the molester to my brother who told it to the family.

I speak to the black experience, but I am always t... -Maya Angelou

I speak to the black experience, but I am always talking about the human condition.

Everyone has at least one story, and each of us is funny if we admit it. You have to admit you're the funniest person you've ever heard of.

I work very hard, and I play very hard. I'm grateful for life. And I live it - I believe life loves the liver of it. I live it.

My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors.

Elimination of illiteracy is as serious an issue t... -Maya Angelou

Elimination of illiteracy is as serious an issue to our history as the abolition of slavery.

Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.

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.

In all my work, in the movies I write, the lyrics, the poetry, the prose, the essays, I am saying that we may encounter many defeats - maybe it's imperative that we encounter the defeats - but we are much stronger than we appear to be and maybe much better than we allow ourselves to be. Human beings are more alike than unalike.

Writing and cookery are just two different means o... -Maya Angelou

Writing and cookery are just two different means of communication.

I've always written. There's a journal which I kept from about 9 years old. The man who gave it to me lived across the street from the store and kept it when my grandmother's papers were destroyed. I'd written some essays. I loved poetry, still do. But I really, really loved it then.

Politicians must set their aims for the high ground and according to our various leanings, Democratic, Republican, Independent, we will follow. Politicians must be told if they continue to sink into the mud of obscenity, they will proceed alone.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold s... -Maya Angelou

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

Discovering the context

This quote expresses the emotional burden and pain of suppressing or withholding one's personal experiences, thoughts, or stories. It suggests that sharing one's truth and expressing oneself authentically is essential for personal growth, connection, and liberation.

History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.

I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too.

The best comfort food will always be greens, cornb... -Maya Angelou

The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread, and fried chicken.

Discovering the context

This quote celebrates traditional and comforting food, suggesting that simple and familiar dishes like greens, cornbread, and fried chicken evoke a sense of comfort and satisfaction. It implies that certain foods hold a special place in culinary enjoyment and nostalgia.

The hope, the hope that lives in the breast of the black American, is just so tremendous that it overwhelms me sometimes.

Most people don't grow up. It's too damn difficult. What happens is most people get older. That's the truth of it. They honor their credit cards, they find parking spaces, they marry, they have the nerve to have children, but they don't grow up.

The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerance. It is seldom accepted as an inevitable outcome of the struggle won by survivors, and deserves respect if not enthusiastic acceptance.

There's a world of difference between truth and fa... -Maya Angelou

There's a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.

I keep a hotel room in my town, although I have a large house. And I go there at about 5:30 in the morning, and I start working. And I don't allow anybody to come in that room. I work on yellow pads and with ballpoint pens. I keep a Bible, a thesaurus, a dictionary, and a bottle of sherry. I stay there until midday.

Life loves the liver of it.

We may encounter many defeats but we must not be d... -Maya Angelou

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

Discovering the context

This quote encourages resilience in the face of setbacks or failures. It emphasizes that even though defeat may be experienced, it should not define or discourage individuals from pursuing their goals.

Maya Angelou Quotes

Popular Topic