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61 Maya Angelou Quotes That Will Make You Reflect Upon Your Journey In Life





On May 28 last year, influential author and poet Maya Angelou died at the age of 86. The famed writer, whose real name was Marguerite Annie Johnson, had numerous achievements throughout her life. 

Below are some of Angelou’s most memorable quotes:



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


2- “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.”


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


4- “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.”


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


6- “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.”


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


8- "A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."


9- "I am grateful to have been loved and to be loved now and to be able to love, because that liberates."


10- "It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody."


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


12- “Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”


13- “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”


14- “What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.”


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




16- “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it."



17- “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”


18- “I don't trust people who don't love themselves and tell me, 'I love you.' ... There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.”


19- “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”


20- “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”


21- “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”


22- “Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.”


23- “The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.”


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


25- “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!”


26- “Most people don't grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging.”


27- “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.”


28- “Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.”


29- “Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art.”


30- “When you learn, teach, when you get, give.”





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


32- “I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.”


33- “If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers.”


34- “We need much less than we think we need.”


35- “Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant.”


36- “Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”


37- “The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory, but they don't know my story...”


38- “You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”


39- “I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.”


40- “Nothing will work unless you do.”


41- “All great achievements require time.”


42- “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 some things back.”


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


44- “Success is loving life and daring to live it.”


45- “Talent is like electricity. We don't understand electricity. We use it.”


46- “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”


47- “Live as though life was created for you.”


48- “I hope that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.”


49- “As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else.”


50- “I do not need to know all things. I remind myself that it is sufficient that I know what I know and know that without believing that I will always know what I know or that what I know will always be true.”



51- “A person is the product of their dreams. So make sure to dream great dreams. And then try to live your dream.”


52- “Life loves the liver of it.”


53- “We are only as blind as we want to be.”


54- “You can only become great at something you are willing to sacrifice for”


55- “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.”


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


57- “Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening”


58- “I hope you always find a reason to smile”


59- “You only are free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all.”


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


61- “Can't Do is like Don't Care. Neither of them have a home.”



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