The loneliness of women who would never know appreciation or a mite’s share of honor. The terrifying moan of my grandmother, ‘Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.’ The drugged days and alcoholic nights of men for whom hope had not been born. The jumble of poverty-stricken children sleeping in rat-infested tenements or abandoned cars. “I had never felt that Egypt was really Africa, but now that our route had taken us across the Sahara, I could look down from my window seat and see trees, and bushes, rivers and dense forest. In the face of this contradictions she must provide a blanket of stability, which warms but does not suffocate, and she must tell her children the truth about the power of white power without suggesting that it cannot be challenged.” Teachers, doctors, sales, clerks, policemen, welfare workers who are white and exert control over her family’s moods, conditions and personality, yet within the home, she must display a right to rule which at any moment, by a knock at the door, or a ring in the telephone, can be exposed as false. Beyond her door, all authority is in the hands of people who do not look or think or act like her children. Yet she is raising children who will become mates. Her singleness indicates she has rejected or has been rejected by her mate. If she is unmarried, the challenges are increased. She questions whether she loves her children enough- or more terribly, does she love them too much? Do her looks cause embarrassment- or even terrifying, is she so attractive her sons begin to desire her and her daughters begin to hate her. Go get em.“The black mother perceives destruction at every door, ruination at each window, and even she herself is not beyond her own suspicion. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”Īnd this one, well, it speaks for itself. “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” You are the universe experiencing itself in human form. “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” You have nowhere to be, and nothing to achieve. Take joy from the seemingly mundane, and choose to make everything in life an adventure. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style” “Have enough courage to trust love one more time.”Īnd even when life and love get you down, as they sometimes will… “Hope for the best, be prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.” The one that makes a difference in the lives of others. “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.”īe that person. Life will throw you challenges, but it is in those challenges that you learn who you are. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. We can only control the choices we make, choose to be empowered, rather than a victim. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” Give yourself a break you’re doing just fine. We rarely pay homage to the work it takes to become great.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” When you fall down, and if you feel like staying down, remember tomorrow is a new day.
“No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.” When you do the work on yourself, consistently, you become better and can do better for others and for yourself. Don’t just apply this to others, apply it to yourself. Such a simple statement, yet so meaningful. “When you know better, you DO BETTER.” – Maya Angelou Her interesting and full life, and many different occupations, gave Angelou a beautiful perspective, and a profound love of life and all its intricacies.īelow are some of the most famous quotes of Maya Angelou to inspire you on your own journey to greatness. Her most famous works were her 7 autobiographies, the first- I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – being the one to bring her international recognition. Maya Angelou was a well-known poet, actress, author and human rights activist. 12 Empowering Maya Angelou Quotes That Will Inspire You To Greatness