Have you ever felt lost, desiring an anchor of wisdom and inspiration to keep you centered? Enter the world of Maya Angelou – a realm teeming with rich and resonant words of wisdom that have left an indelible mark on countless souls. Maya Angelou, celebrated poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist, possessed a unique ability to string words into captivating stories and motivating thoughts, much like pearls threaded into a timeless necklace. Her wisdom encompasses life, love, resilience, self-esteem, and the beauty of humanity, gifting us a lighthouse in the stormy seas of life.
Now, let's sail back in time to the era of Winston Churchill, another remarkable figure known for his influential words. Did you know that Churchill, like Maya Angelou, harnessed the power of words to motivate, inspire, and lead? During the bleakest hours of World War II, he uplifted a nation with his rousing speeches, turning despair into determination and fear into courage. Imagine if he had had the chance to learn from the wisdom of Maya Angelou! In fact, their messages share a common theme: the incredible resilience and potential of the human spirit. As we dive into these “50 Powerful Maya Angelou Quotes”, we hope that her timeless wisdom resonates with you, fueling your spirit, just as Churchill’s words once rallied a nation.
Inspiration and Strength
1. “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.”
2. “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”
3. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”
4. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
5. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
6. “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.”
7. “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.”
8. “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.”
9. “All great achievements require time.”
10. “I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life.”
Related Article: “50 Thought-Provoking George Bernard Shaw Quotes”
Resilience and Hope
- “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.”
- “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- “Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.”
- “You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.”
- “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”
- “Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise. Up from a past that’s rooted in pain, I rise.”
- “Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space. Invite one to stay.”
- “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
- “The desire to reach the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise and most possible.”
- “Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant.”
Love and Humanity
- “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.”
- “Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time.”
- “I am a Woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman, that's me.”
- “Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.”
- “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
- “In the flush of love's light, we dare be brave. And suddenly we see that love costs all we are, and will ever be. Yet it is only love which sets us free.”
- “I know for sure that love saves me and that it is here to save us all.”
- “We need much less than we think we need.”
- “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.”
- “Love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it empowers us to develop courage; to trust that courage and build bridges with it; to trust those bridges and cross over them so we can attempt to reach each other.”
Related Article: “50 Courageous Amelia Earhart Quotes”
Empowerment and Self-Love
- “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”
- “If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.”
- “I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too.”
- “Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model for somebody, and if we aren't, we should behave as though we are — cheerful, kind, loving, courteous. Because you can be sure someone is watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes.”
- “The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination.”
- “When you learn, teach, when you get, give.”
- “I am a Woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman, that's me.”
- “If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.”
- “Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls.”
- “Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”
Wisdom and Understanding
- “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”
- “You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
- “Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”
- “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
- “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”
- “There's a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth.”
- “We are only as blind as we want to be.”
- “Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
- “I work really hard to just focus on the joy of the work that I get to do and the impact that I know it has on the world.”
- “Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”
Related Article: “50 Enlightening Khalil Gibran Quotes”
