50+ Maya Angelou Quotes to Inspire Courage, Love, and Wisdom

Maya Angelou lived more than most of us can imagine. Poet, memoirist, activist, actress. She danced, she sang, she wrote. And through it all, she shared her wisdom with the world. Her words have a way of landing right where you need them. On hard days. On good days. On days when you just need to feel understood.

That’s why maya angelou quotes continue to resonate. They speak to the human experience in ways that feel both personal and universal.

In this collection, you will find over 50 of the best Maya Angelou quotes.

Some are famous quotes by Maya Angelou that many people know. Some quotes from Maya Angelou may be new to you. We have gathered Maya Angelou famous quotes that everyone should read. You will also find Maya Angelou inspirational quotes that lift your spirit.

There are Maya Angelou quotes about life that give you a new view. You will see Maya Angelou motivational quotes that push you forward. You will also find Maya Angelou love quotes that warm your heart.

Maybe you are looking for Dr. Maya Angelou quotes from her speeches. Or maybe you want the famous Maya Angelou quote, “People will forget what you said.” Whatever you are searching for, these words will stay with you..

Maya Angelou Quotes About Life and Living Fully

These maya angelou quotes about life remind us to show up, pay attention, and live with purpose.

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

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

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”

“You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.”

“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.” – The most famous of all maya angelou quotes people will forget what you said

“When you know better, you do better.”

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

“Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: ‘I’m with you kid. Let’s go.'”

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

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

Maya Angelou Inspirational Quotes for Courage

When you need strength, these maya angelou inspirational quotes provide it.

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”

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

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

“Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

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

“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.” – From her famous poem, giving us quotes from maya angelou still i rise

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

“One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency.”

“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”

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

Maya Angelou Famous Quotes That Everyone Should Know

These maya angelou famous quotes have become part of our shared language.

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

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

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

“Nothing will work unless you do.”

“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.”

“We need much less than we think we need.”

“I work very hard, and I play very hard. I’m grateful for life. And I live it.”

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”

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

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

Maya Angelou Love Quotes From the Heart

Love was central to Maya Angelou’s writing. These maya angelou love quotes capture its depth.

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

“We need to remember that we are all created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed.”

“In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.” – Maya Angelou

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

“Love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it allows me to survive.”

“The love of the family, the love of the person, heals. It heals the scars.”

“Let nothing dim the light that shines from within.”

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”

“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.” – Yes, it’s also a maya angelou love quote about how we treat others

“Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time.”

Maya Angelou Motivational Quotes to Keep Going

Need a push? These maya angelou motivational quotes will get you moving.

“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”

“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 you.”

“If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love.”

“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.”

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”

“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.”

“All great achievements require time.”

“Determine to live life with flair and laughter.”

“I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.”

“The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change.”

Dr. Maya Angelou Quotes on Wisdom and Womanhood

As a woman who lived through profound change, these dr. maya angelou quotes carry extra weight.

“I am a Woman. Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman, that’s me.” – From her beloved poem “Phenomenal Woman”

“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.”

“Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”

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

“The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.”

“I’m grateful to be a woman. I’m grateful to be intelligent. I’m grateful to be alive.”

“I believe that every person is born with talent.”

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

“If we lose love and self-respect for each other, this is how we finally die.”

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

Maya Angelou Quotes About Strength and Rising

Maya Angelou knew struggle. She also knew how to rise. These quotes prove it.

“Still I rise.” – Just two words, but they carry everything

“You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies. You may trod me in the very dirt but still, like dust, I’ll rise.”

“Out of the huts of history’s shame I rise. Up from a past that’s rooted in pain I rise.”

“Leaving behind nights of terror and fear I rise. Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear I rise.”

“I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise.”

“We are braver and wiser because they existed, those strong women and strong men… We are who we are because they were who they were.”

“What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.”

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

“Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls.”

“My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.”

The Wisdom of Maya Angelou Lives On

Maya Angelou left us in 2014. But her words? They’re still here. Still teaching. Still healing. Still rising.

These maya angelou quotes represent just a fraction of her wisdom. But they capture her spirit: courageous, loving, fierce, and free.

Maybe you needed Maya Angelou inspirational quotes for a hard day. Maybe you wanted Maya Angelou quotes about life for a new view. Or maybe you were looking for Maya Angelou love quotes for your heart.

We hope these words found you at the right time.

She once said, “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.”

Maya Angelou made us feel seen. Made us feel strong. Made us feel possible.

And that’s why her words will never fade.

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