Maya Angelou Quotes

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

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

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

“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.”

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.”

“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: "I'm with you kid. Let's go."

“Life loves the liver of it.”

“Nothing will work unless you do.”

“All great achievements require time.”

“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.”

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

“A wise woman wishes to be no one's enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone's victim.”

“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.”

“The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else's cloud. Somebody who may not look like you. May not call God the same name you call God. But be a blessing to somebody.”

“I'm convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. As long as you're breathing, it's never too late to do some good.”

“If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.”

“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.”

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

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

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

“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”

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

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

“If we lose love and self-respect for each other, this is how we finally die.”

“I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.”