25 Inspiring Quotes from Maya Angelou

Today, at the age of 86 prolific author, poet, inspirational speaker, Maya Angelou has died. In her death, I am reminding of her affect on my life. Her autobiography– I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings–which I read when I was still a pre-teen, moved me. It thought me to take a moment to speak to everyone. It thought me to listen. It also thought me to accept for who they are. I am still grateful for those lessons. I am also grateful, that I had to opportunity to hear Ms. Angelou speak and recite some of her most powerful poems. I am saddened to hear of her death. But her death reminds me of her beautiful way with words. Here are 25 of my favorite quotes.

1. “If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.”

2. “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.”

3. “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.”

4. “Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size But when I start to tell them, They think I’m telling lies. I say, It’s in the reach of my arms The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me.”

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

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

7. “No sun outlasts its sunset but will rise again and bring the dawn.”

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

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

10. “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.”

11. “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

12. “We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives.”

13  “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.”

14. “If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.”

15. “Nothing will work unless you do.”

16. “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.”

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

18.  “It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself to forgive. Forgive everybody.”

19. “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.”

20. “I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.”

21. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”

22. “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”

23. “I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life’.”

24. “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”

25.”A woman who is convinced that she deserves to accept only the best challenges herself to give the best. Then she is living phenomenally.”