23 Stirring Maya Angelou Quotes That The World Needs Now More Than Ever

Published August 21, 2021
Updated October 12, 2021

These twenty-three heartrending Maya Angelou quotes are the definition of words to live by.

Through her award-winning poetry and her civil rights activism, Maya Angelou became the voice of so many who were unable to make themselves heard. The author of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings inspired countless people around the world and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, just three years before her death at age 86.

Like her incredible legacy, these touching Maya Angelou quotes on love, loss, pain, and virtue will endure for eternity:

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

Maya Angelou Quotes On Attitude
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.YouTube

Life Goes On And It Will Be Better
No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.YouTube

Maya Angelou On Falling In Love
First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. But any of it is better than never having been in love.YouTube

Uplifting Maya Angelou Quotes On Family
We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends, and living our lives.YouTube

I Don't Trust Anyone Who Doesn't Laugh
I don't trust anyone who doesn't laugh.YouTube

People Never Forget How You Made Them Feel
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.YouTube

Maya Angelou On Learning
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.Wikimedia Commons

Powerful Maya Angelou Quotes On Love
Love recognizes no barries. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.Flickr

Making A Living
I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."

We Need Less Than We Think
We need much less than we think we need.

Most People Don't Grow Up
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.Flickr

When People Show You Who They Are
The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.Flickr

Maya Angelou Quotes Creativity Use
You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.YouTube

Maya Angelou On Achieving Your Goals
You can only become truly accomplished doing something you love. Don't make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off of you.YouTube

Empowering Quotes From Maya Angelou
Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.YouTube

Maya Angelou Quotes On Reading Literature
When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.YouTube

Never Make Someone A Priority
Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.YouTube

Untold Story Inside You
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.Wikimedia Commons

Courage As A Virtue
Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.YouTube

Maya Angelou Quote On Self Love
If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?Wikimedia Commons

You Have Nothing To Prove
You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.Flickr

Barack Obama And Maya Angelou
You can never be great at anything unless you love it.Wikimedia Commons

After exploring these quotes by Maya Angelou, discover the most moving Nelson Mandela quotes plus inspirational quotes guaranteed to change your life.

author
Briana Jones
author
Briana Jones is a freelance writer, screenwriter, and artist roaming the hot sands of the southwest. She enjoys the strange and unusual, and green tea.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.
Cite This Article
Jones, Briana. "23 Stirring Maya Angelou Quotes That The World Needs Now More Than Ever." AllThatsInteresting.com, August 21, 2021, https://allthatsinteresting.com/maya-angelou-quotes. Accessed April 18, 2024.