Maya Angelou quotes on womanhood, life and love
Maya was a woman of hope and good character. She was an emblem of love and an epitome of creativity at its best. When counting the best creatives of all time, her name will appear somewhere at the top. She is famed for her great works, including her poems, "The Caged Bird" and "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings". In her lifetime, Maya spoke of courage as the basic virtue of life. It is the basis from which consistency of action and clear intentions can be pursued. Without courage, it is difficult for the human mind to exploit its full potential exhaustively. Courage is love and love is good. It can be made better with random acts of kindness and a constant reminder of what love is to a person. Here are Maya Angelou quotes to inspire, uplift and ease the burdens of life.
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Maya Angelou spoke of life as an adventure –(not in her own words). Life is a battle that needs to be fought head-on. You have to choose what to do with your life. All the choices in your head are possibilities to pursue a course. The most important thing is to do right. Two most notable aspects of her gospel were love and doing right at all times. She promoted these virtues by speaking about them and living them herself. She painted the right picture of life as a course worth pursuing under your own terms, demonstrating major landmarks that signal you about the direction and trajectory of your life. Some of these landmarks can be found in her quotes, poems, and writings. For a woman born of dark skin at a time that the skin colour mattered more than character and intellect, Maya did well for herself and humanity at large. That is why history chooses to remember her, today and forever. Below are some of her quotes. May you find value and guidance in them.
Inspiring quotes by Maya Angelou
Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better
In life, we do what we do not know until it is the only thing we know. Maya knew this and insisted on everyone doing their best at whatever thing they worked on because sooner or later, that which they do would become part of them. It is only wise that when it becomes a part of you, it is the best version of what you have to offer.
If you’re a human being, you can attempt to do what other human beings have done. We don’t understand talent any more than we understand electricity.
The wisdom in these words can be explained in several ways. One way that I choose to look at it is as an encouragement to get an education. Conventional education has been associated with the accumulation of degrees as a measure of success. This is not bad. However, true education is the enlightenment of self, by studying more and exploring. Studying and doing what other people have done is one way to gain knowledge and understanding, which leads to enlightenment.
Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.
This is a call to action. It begs you to give as much unto others as you do unto yourself. Be a beacon of hope and a dazzling star that guides someone through a night. Be better to people, no matter how little you influence reality. The quote reassures you that the little you have to give is the much the world yearns for. Encourage a brother, protect a sister and feed the less fortunate. Do something of impact on someone’s life and expect nothing in return.
Stand up straight and realize who you are. That you tower over your circumstances; you are a child of God. Stand up straight.
More often than not, you forget who you are. You fail to define yourself better to yourself, thus, losing the zeal to live life at the highest point of your human emotions and instincts. Life can and may possibly be hard, but the knowledge and understanding of who you are will keep you alive, long enough to achieve your heart’s desire and influence reality. A wise man once observed that you should be careful when you define yourself to yourself, because how you define yourself determines what you become. In this quote, Maya assured you of your relationship and consequently, your position in the Creator's arm; act accordingly. You deserve to be in the world as a fully-fledged human - confident, contented, passionate, and visionary because the world needs you.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away.
Maya describes life as a collection of moments, which speed up your heart rate and make your body full of goosebumps. You have to make the best of life. Instead of being ordinary, be something more. Live life at first chance and make every moment a poem that will sing your heart to sleep every night, make each second a lifetime full of bliss and sweet memories and finally, make your life count by doing things that leave you in awe – positively.
I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too.
This is a classical demonstration of loving a neighbour as you love yourself, and doing unto others, what you want others to do unto you. Maya begins by respecting herself and deliberately making other people do the same. She understands how to respect herself first and later asks others to respect her as she does to herself. In the process, she respects others just as much as she respects herself, making her a sun and a magnet of respect – she gives and receives respect.
Determine to live life with flair and laughter.
You have to be authentic, and give your best at all times. A cheerful heart and an open mind should accompany these attributes. This quote reminds you to live life to the fullest and gratify life with laughter.
We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.
Life is a series of ups and downs, a game of chances and opportunities. You do not get to win all the time. When you are defeated, accept the failure and learn from it. Pick yourself up and forge ahead. Think of better ways to live up to your potential and become the greatest version of yourself, for yourself, and humanity’s sake.
I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn
You have to stay humble at all times. No matter how much you think you know, the view of life is better seen through the eyes of humility. In pursuit of knowledge, you only realize that every invention comes with a new world of unexplored mysteries. Each learning experience is a door to deeper levels of understanding, creating an infinite need to learn and understand better.
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.
This is a reminder that you should raise a toast to every success you accomplish. As Whiz Khalifa puts it in his music, "Work hard and play hard". The world rewards them that strike a balance between work and play, with a peaceful mind, healthy body, and wisdom. You should make it a deliberate effort to earn life’s love, by playing very hard.
Nothing succeeds like success. Get a little success, and then just get a little more
To achieve great things, you have to have a consistent flow of ‘little’ successes. This will always give you the courage and willpower to be better all the time. In wise words, I would like to observe that success is not a big event, but a sustained record of small victories over time.
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Wise sayings about love
Love was her strong forte. She spoke of it with ease and fluency known to a just a few. Her love was diverse, because she spoke about romantic love with acute precision, as she spoke about agape love, and everything love, in between. This is reflected in her quotes about love. Below are some of her quotes that history chose to memorize and never let go.
We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.
Love is about appreciating each other. It is about seeing the good in others and helping them see it for themselves. There is no better way to do this than in joy and building strong relationships. This quote reminds us what we need to exploit the fruits of humanity, in love.
Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.
Maya Angelou love quotes seek to solve one more mystery about love each time. This quote focuses on trust and love. For love to grow, the relationship must be founded on trust, transparency and effective communication. When you get heartbroken, find the strength to give love one more chance. Don’t let heartbreaks be the end of a beautiful thing called love. Trust it and allow it to consume you, wisely.
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.
This quote is an emphasis on the fact that love is at the heart of success. Love is the fuel that drives you through life and all the sacrifices you make. Love gets you up every morning and lets you work late into the night, without getting tired.
I know for sure that love saves me and that it is here to save us all.
Of all Maya Angelou quotes about love, this quote communicates very clearly, her perception of love. It is a confession and a direction of sorts. You can choose to learn from it and make love part of your daily engagements.
Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time
Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: I’m with you kid. Let’s go
Maya Angelou quotes about women
Quotes by Maya Angelou about women seek to challenge the norm and empower women to be the best versions of themselves at all times. She describes women from the point of understanding of herself. Below are some of her quotes about women.
I would like to be known as an intelligent woman, a courageous woman, a loving woman, a woman who teaches by being
If you as a woman adopt this thinking with the aim of becoming a better version of yourself, you will be delivering a great gift to the world. In this quote, Maya wants to be the best version of herself.
A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.
This quote insists on the importance of maintaining good relations with others. You should be good to others and not attract hostile reactions from people. This, however, should not be done at your expense. Do not allow people to trample over you.
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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 *ss.
This quote seeks to inspire you to be a woman of impact unto the world. You have to be courageous and face life as it comes, without fear. Strengthen your faith and feed your soul incessantly with courage.
Apart from quotes, Maya has had great works on women in her writings. If her life was to be a title of a poem, it would be "A Strong Woman Poem Maya Angelou". She came into this world, innocent and left as a better person; a gift to humanity. Maya Angelou quotes have influenced reality in great ways. It has sparked conversations about women and love’s position in humanity. Hopefully, generations to come will find the wisdom in her words and see the world from her eyes. Long live Maya Angelou! Long live quotes by Maya Angelou!
Source: YEN.com.gh
