Maya Angelou Quotes

Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.

Nothing will work unless you do.

Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.

A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.

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

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.

You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. Please remember that your difficulties do not define you. They simply strengthen your ability to overcome.

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

If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.

You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!

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.

No sun outlasts its sunset, but will rise again and bring the dawn.

A Woman in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself and only herself

If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you will look forward, do so prayerfully. But the wisest course would be to be present in the present gratefully.

We need Joy as we need air. We need Love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.

Open your eyes to the beauty around you, open your mind to the wonders of life, open your heart to those who love you, and always be true to yourself.

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

Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space. Invite one to stay.

Precious jewel, you glow, you shine, reflecting all the good things in the world. Just look at yourself.

Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.

At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.

I would like to be known as an intelligent woman, a courageous woman, a loving woman, a woman who teaches by being.

Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.

You don't need another person, place or thing to make you whole. God already did that. Your job is to know it.

If you are going down a road and don't like what's in front of you, and look behind you and don't like what you see, get off the road. Create a new path!

Continue. Be loving and be strong. Be fierce and be kind. And don't give in and don't give up.'

When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not shouting 'I'm saved'. I'm whispering 'I get lost'. That is why I chose this way.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

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

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

Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.

If you're going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can't be erased.

This is a wonderful day, I have never seen this one before.

In diversity there is beauty and there is strength.

I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.

No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

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

God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us - in the dreariest and most dreaded moments - can see a possibility of hope.

People will never forget how you made them feel.

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

I am not competing with anyone other than myself. I want to be excellent at whatever I do.

We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.

Stand up straight and realize who you are, that you tower over your circumstances. You are a child of God. Stand up straight.

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.

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.

Remember, people will judge you by your actions not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold but so does a hard-boiled egg.

Every day I awaken I am grateful. My intent is to be totally present in that day. And laugh as much as possible.

I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.

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.

In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.