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Explore 100+ Inspiring Maya Angelou Quotes About Life

maya angelou quotes about life

Summary:

Maya Angelou, an iconic American poet and writer, has inspired numerous individuals worldwide through her wisdom-packed quotes about life. Her words remind us of resilience, self-awareness, and the beauty of human experiences. In this article, we explore ten powerful sections, each highlighting a specific aspect of life through Maya's noteworthy quotes. These sections offer reflections on courage, love, and achievement, providing readers with profound insights and motivation. Whether you find solace in Angelou's empowering views on friendship or seek encouragement to move past failures, this compilation of quotes has something for everyone. So, prepare to delve into Angelou's world, where clarity meets compassion, offering lessons that transcend the ordinary facets of life. Her expressions do not merely tell stories; they inspire transformation, encouraging us to rise, thrive, and embrace the complexities of our existence with grace and dignity.

Quotes on Courage

  • "Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently."
  • "I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it."
  • "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."
  • "Without courage, we cannot fully enjoy the experiences that life has to offer."
  • "One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential."
  • "Courage allows the successful person to fail and learn powerful lessons from the failure."
  • "The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind."
  • "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."
  • "Courage is daring to take those steps forward when you're still scared."
  • "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."
  • "Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else."
  • "Having courage is a permanent state as opposed to having fear."
  • Quotes on Love

  • "Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."
  • "You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody."
  • "If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded."
  • "The love of the family, the love of our neighbors and the love of ourselves recognize no barriers."
  • "First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. But any of it is better than never having been in love."
  • "A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her."
  • "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."
  • "Love is that condition in the healing spirit so profound that it allows us to forgive."
  • "My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and the courage to accept the love in return."
  • "Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud."
  • "A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face."
  • "Love liberates; it doesn’t bind."
  • Quotes on Success

  • "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it."
  • "Nothing will work unless you do."
  • "All great achievements require time."
  • "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."
  • "Effective action is always preceded by a form of productive thinking."
  • "Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment."
  • "Success is not measured by where you are, but the distance you have traveled."
  • "You are enough just as you are. More than enough. Feeling whole and complete in yourself is success."
  • "I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver."
  • "Determine to live life with flair and laughter."
  • "The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise."
  • "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."
  • Quotes on Resilience

  • "I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it."
  • "You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated."
  • "We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."
  • "My story is being told and my story is being unfolded."
  • "I’ve learned that making a 'living' not the same thing as 'making a life'."
  • "Stand up straight and realize who you are, that you tower over your circumstances."
  • "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again."
  • "Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it."
  • "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 their color."
  • "I’ve learned that people in general tend to wait for someone to lead them before they try to make any other move."
  • "The main thing in one's own private world is to try to laugh as much as you cry."
  • "Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art."
  • Quotes on Friendship

  • "A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face."
  • "Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls."
  • "I've learned that you should not go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back."
  • "We all need friends who will walk beside us as we grow and change, celebrating our successes and encouraging us through our struggles."
  • "A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."
  • "No one can take the place of a person who will always hold your hand across tough terrains in life."
  • "I am convinced that courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently."
  • "I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'."
  • "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."
  • "There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside you."
  • "Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between."
  • "Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud."
  • Quotes on Change

  • "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."
  • "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."
  • "If you’re willing to change and adapt, you can do amazing things."
  • "It is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody."
  • "I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."
  • "Change everything that’s ordinary in your life, and let extraordinary things happen."
  • "I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare."
  • "Effective action is always preceded by a form of productive thinking."
  • "One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential."
  • "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
  • "The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change."
  • "The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind."
  • Quotes on Self-Awareness

  • "You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody."
  • "Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option."
  • "Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple; passion alone will destroy its walls."
  • "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."
  • "I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life."
  • "If we lose love and self-respect for each other, this is how we finally die."
  • "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."
  • "I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life."
  • "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it."
  • "A wise woman wishes to be no one's enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone's victim."
  • "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."
  • "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 their color."
  • Quotes on Empowerment

  • "I’ve learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'."
  • "The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination."
  • "If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love."
  • "Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art."
  • "I am a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me."
  • "If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude."
  • "You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that, I try to make sure that my experiences are positive."
  • "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."
  • "Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud."
  • "Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God."
  • "The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise."
  • "If we learn to love in the manner we want to be loved, we will find ourselves loved beyond measure."
  • Quotes on Forgiveness

  • "It is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody."
  • "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."
  • "If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded."
  • "Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn't know before you learned it."
  • "You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, ‘I forgive.’"
  • "You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are."
  • "No one can take the place of a person who will always hold your hand across tough terrains in life."
  • "Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom."
  • "I’ve learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life."
  • "We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated."
  • "The soul struggling for truth at the cost of comfort finds truth beyond price."
  • "Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself."
  • Quotes on Happiness

  • "Determine to live life with flair and laughter."
  • "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."
  • "Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God."
  • "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."
  • "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."
  • "Determine to live life with something new."
  • "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."
  • "The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind."
  • "Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, not helping much more than doing, not much happiness."
  • "My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and the courage to accept the love in return."
  • "I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life."
  • "I believe that one can reach the horizon and be happy from the inside out!"
  • Final words

    Maya Angelou's quotes transcend simple words, morphing into guiding principles capable of transforming lives. Her wisdom takes us through a journey of purity, strength, and kindness that serves as a mighty companion through life's challenges. From the courage that sparks new beginnings to understanding love's unyielding power, and the healing touch of forgiveness, Angelou's words resonate with truths that speak to the core of humanity. Enabling us to rise above obstacles, her quotes encourage a deeper reflection on one's identity and purpose. Embrace these gems of wisdom in your daily life—look upon them as sources of enlightenment and inspiration. As you navigate life's unpredictable currents, let Angelou's empowering and wise perspective be your guide toward living joyfully, authentically, and with understanding. Stand tall and celebrate your journey; after all, as Maya taught us, in every soul persevering through hardship, there dwells an irreplaceable beauty waiting to manifest into changes that fill the world with hope, truth, and happiness.

    Dive into a collection of over 100 powerful quotes from Maya Angelou that capture the essence of life, offering wisdom and inspiration. Perfect for those seeking motivation and insight from one of literature’s most revered voices.

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