The interviewer, George Plimpton, asked Angelou how she began her work day. In 1990, Maya Angelou was interviewed on stage at the YMHA in Manhattan, New York, in front of an audience of mostly women. “I know that one of the great arts that the writer develops is the art of saying, “No. She always encouraged people to focus on the similarities we share and embrace our identity as humans.Ĭheck out our article on the top 12 quotes about advocacy. In the Psychology Today interview, Marianne Schnall asks Angelou, “What is your wish for children of the future?” Angelou’s answer, quoted above, represents one of the author’s most enduring sentiments. I hope that the children have not been so scarred by their upbringing that they only think fear when they see someone else who looks separate from them.” “I wish that we could look into each other’s faces, in each other’s eyes, and see our own selves. Accepting anything less than courtesy harms a person’s self-esteem while treating others without courtesy affects both our view of ourselves and how others see us. Angelou first says, “courage,” but then continues with why courtesy matters, too. In this quote, which is pulled from Psychology Today’s 2009 interview with the author, Marianne Schnall has just asked Angelou what she wished she knew as a child. Maya Angelou wrote and spoke often about identity and self-empowerment. And if we have the effrontery to talk to anybody with less than courtesy, we tell ourselves and the world we are not very intelligent.” If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. To accept nothing less than courtesy, and to give nothing less than courtesy. Her life during this time sang with courage, and as this quote emphasizes, courage is the foundation of every other virtue. It covers her life from 1957-1962 when she traveled extensively through California, New York, Egypt, and Ghana, all while raising her teenage son, becoming a published author, and working in the Civil Rights Movement.
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The Heart of a Woman was Maya Angelou’s fourth autobiography. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” She faced many other difficulties in her life, but as her quote says, she was not reduced by any of them. At age 8, she was abused by her mother’s boyfriend, and after he was killed, Angelou went mute for almost five years. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”Īnother quote from Letter to My Daughter, these words are especially moving considering Maya Angelou’s life. It’s considered one of Angelou’s “wisdom books.” In just a few words, the quote above encapsulates how everyone must take action if they want anything to happen in their lives. It takes its title from the African-American spiritual “On My Journey Now.” In the book, Angelou shares insights into topics such as faith, grieving, racism and self-care. This quote is from Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now, Angelou’s first book of essays published in 1993. As Angelou knows from personal experience, life is full of defeats, but they should not define our entire lives and prevent us from continuing on. Quotes like this emphasize the importance of resilience and hope. While Angelou has no daughters of her own, she wrote this book in honor of the many women who saw her as a mother figure. Letter to My Daughter, Maya Angelou’s third book of essays, was released in 2009. “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”
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It’s fitting this quote comes from the first of Angelou’s autobiographies, which share the story of a life well-lived. First published in 1969, the autobiography describes Angelou’s life starting from when she was a 3-year-old sent to live with her grandmother to when she became a 16-year-old mother. This quote is from one of Maya Angelou’s most important books: I Know Why The Caged Birds Sings. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” In this article, we’ll explore 15 of her most inspiring quotes found in books and interviews over her lifetime.
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She passed away in 2014 at age 86, but her words remain. Her work has won countless awards, and in 2011, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was active during the Civil Rights Movement and remained an activist for racial equality, gender equality, and social justice. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, plays, films, TV shows and more. Born in 1928, she worked just about every job you could imagine but became best known as a writer. Maya Angelou is one of the United States’ most interesting and important people.