50 Beautiful Maya Angelou Quotes That Celebrate Love and Life

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If you are struggling with life and still trying to make the most of it, then these quotes of Maya Angelou are exactly what you need.




Her famous and encouraging words will not only motivate you, but they will help you find happiness even in a bad day. The renowned and respected poet had a way with words and proudly voiced her opinions about life, love, equality, beauty, success, and self-development.

Why you must read these quotes of Maya Angelou



Maya Angelou was among the most celebrated and beloved authors and poets in the US. Due to her inspirational work, she was awarded several times and was bestowed with more than 50 honorary degrees.

Maya was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 by President Barack Obama, one of the highest honors in the country.

She was a well-known civil rights activist who spoke tirelessly for justice, women and black people. Maya Angelou was also the first black female director in Hollywood.




A survivor of racism, violence, and abuse, she participated in the civil rights movement after being inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The award-winning writer is a reminder about what one woman can achieve and how much impact she can have on the world.

Read 25+ Inspiring Will Smith Quotes About Life That You Must Read

Sadly, Maya Angelou passed away on May 2014. However, her legacy continues through her words and her work.

Maya Angelou Quotes

These 50 Maya Angelou Quotes About Love, Life And Success Will Help You Discover Her Inner Beauty And Her Impact On Our Community Even Today.

Maya Angelou Quotes

1. 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.

I’ve learned that no matter what happens

2. If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

3. If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.




4. You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there.

You Are The Sum Total Of Everything Youve Ever

5. Everything influences each of us, and because of that, I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.

6. Nothing will work unless you do.

7. A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.

8. All great achievements require time.

9. I work very hard, and I play very hard. I’m grateful for life. And I live it – I believe life loves the liver of it. I live it.

10. 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.




Maya Angelou Quotes

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

12. I believe that every person is born with talent.

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

You May Not Control All The Events That Happen To You

14. Nothing succeeds like success. Get a little success, and then just get a little more.

15. Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.




Do The Best You Can Until You Know Better

16. If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.

17. You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.

18. We are only as blind as we want to be.

We Are Only As Blind

19. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.

20. I got my own back.

Maya Angelou Quotes

21. You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.



22. The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.

The Desire To Reach For The Stars

23. I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.

24. When you learn, teach, when you get, give.

25. Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant.

26. Whining is just unbecoming.

27. The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind.


28. You only are free when you realize you belong no place – you belong every place – no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.

29. When I forgive other people, I let them go, I free them from my ignorance. And as soon as I do, I feel lighter, brighter, and better.

30. We need to not be in denial about what we’ve done, what we’ve come through. It will help us if we all do that.

Maya Angelou Quotes

31. I want all my senses engaged. Let me absorb the world’s variety and uniqueness.



32. How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!

33. The best candy shop a child can be left alone in is the library.

34. Listen to yourself and in that quietude, you might hear the voice of God.

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

Maya Angelou

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

We Delight In The Beauty Of The Butterfly

37. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

Read: 4 Things You Can Do That Will Help You Make The Right Decisions

38. We need much less than we think we need.

39. If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?


If I Am Not Good To Myself

40. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

Maya Angelou Quotes

41. Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.

Life Is Not Measured By The Number Of Breaths

42. Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world but has not solved one yet.

43. There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

There Is No Greater Agony

44. I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too.

45. It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. Maya Angelou

46. I created myself. I have taught myself so much.

47. The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody is free.

48. If you want what you’re saying heard, then take your time and say it so that the listener will actually hear it. You might save somebody’s life. Your own, first.

49. Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.

50. I try to see every day as a celebration.

Maya Angelou Quotes

50 Beautiful Maya Angelou Quotes
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