Maya Angelou

Very wise words have come from this lady, and since I love quotes and poetry, I thought I'd post some quotes from her!

Maya Angelou Quotes

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." 

"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." 

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

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." 

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. 

"The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them." 

"I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." 

"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." 

"Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently." 

"Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it!" 

"Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me." 

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

"Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud." 

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her." 

 (my favorite!)

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

"There's a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure truth." 

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

"Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him." 

"When you know better you do better."

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

"You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise!"

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

"Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean."

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. 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. "

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

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

"Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman"

"Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope"

"Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between."

"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."

"Nothing can dim the light which shines from within."

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things"

"Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option."

"When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say. "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow." 

"The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory, but they don't know my story..."  

"I want to thank you, Lord, for life and all that's in it.
Thank you for the day and for the hour, and the minute. " 

"a friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face."  

"All great achievements require time."