Maya Angelou Quotes  to Inspire Your Life

Maya Angelou was an American poet, screenwriter, civil rights activist, and author. She has published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry and has been credited with a list of songs, films and television shows lasting over 50 years. She has received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary titles and she is best known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which made literary history as the first nonfiction bestseller by an African American woman.

Here are 35 of the best Maya Angelou quotes about life, love, and success that will inspire and empower you.

Enjoy these beautiful quotes!

“The first thing I do in the morning when I awaken is say, ‘Thank you, Lord!’ I’m grateful to be alive, and I’m going to try to tell the truth as well as I know and tell it as eloquently as I can so that people can hear it.”

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

“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.”

“You can never be great at anything unless you love it.”

“Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.”

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

“While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God’s creation.”  

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. ”

“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.”  

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

“The needs of a society determine its ethics.”

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

“You don’t have to think about doing the right thing. If you’re for the right thing, then you do it without thinking.”

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

“Never whine. Whining lets a brute know that a victim is in the neighborhood.”

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

“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.”  

“Only equals can become friends. ”

RELATED: Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

“I thank God that I’ve lived long enough to see what I have seen, and I pray that people will continue to do better. We are doing better, it may not seem so, but there was a time when people were lynched in the middle of the street and it was not against the law. We are doing better, but we have so much more to do.”

“A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim. ”

“Nothing will work unless you do. ”

“I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.”

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible.”

“ Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away. ”

“This is a beautiful day, I’ve never seen this one before.”

“There is a spirit in all music, the spirit has the ability to conjure up thoughts even pictures of something that happened or you wished would happen or you anticipate happening. Music has the ability to create ideas in you and me.”

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

“I’m grateful to be of use. I will not be misused or abused, but I will be of use to anybody.”

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

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

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

“Be certain that you do not die without having done something wonderful for humanity.”

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

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

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