Maya Angelou may be gone, but her legacy lives on. She has been immortalized on a U.S. postage stamp, and now, her iconic autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is being re-released, complete with a foreword by her “daughter-friend” Oprah Winfrey. The re-release ensures that her vast wisdom will live on, touching millions of lives and countless generations to come. In honor of what would have been her 88th birthday, leave us a comment sharing your favorite words of wisdom from Angelou.
“I am a Woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal Women, that’s me.”
“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.”
“The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.”
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
“Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”
“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”
“You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies. You may tread me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Surviving is important; thriving is elegant.”
Poet Maya Angelou, whose birthday was April 4, has inspired Black girls across the world through her poetry. Angelou passed away in 2014 at age 86.
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
“If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.”
