Inspirational and Motivational Quotes by Maya Angelou

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

“A person is the product of their thoughts.”

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

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

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

“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”

“Don’t wait for the perfect moment, take the moment and make it perfect.”

“Don’t worry about being successful, but work toward being significant, and the success will follow.”

“I am grateful for being alive. I’m grateful for the joy and the challenges.”

“I am my best work—a series of road maps, reports, recipes, doodles, and prayers, all in one.”

“I believe that each of us comes into this world with a purpose, and we have the ability to fulfill that purpose.”

“I believe that we all have something beautiful to give the world.”

“I do not trust people who don’t trust themselves.”

“I don't believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of experience.”

“I don't trust people who don’t love themselves and tell me, ‘I love you.’ There’s an African saying which is: ‘Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.’”

“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

“I think that a woman’s essence is an extraordinary thing to behold, and we need to love and protect it.”

“I think we all are born to live extraordinary lives.”

“I think, no matter how far you go, you can’t hide your roots.”

“I want to be a part of people’s lives in a way that makes them feel good.”

“I will not have my life narrowed down. I will not bow down to somebody else’s whim or to someone else’s ignorance.”

“I've learned that it’s better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond.”

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

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

“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

“If you want to be free, be free. There’s a song that goes, ‘You’re just a fool who thinks he’s got the world in his hand.’ But that’s not true. Freedom comes when you stop waiting for someone else to give it to you.”

“If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down.”

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

“In all of living, have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.”

“It’s better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.”

“It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you handle it that matters.”

“It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.”

“I’m convinced that I am an instrument of God. I am His servant.”

“I’ve learned that being a woman is not a weakness, but a strength.”

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

“I’ve learned that I can make a difference in someone’s life, even when I am not trying to.”

“I’ve learned that I need to embrace the things that make me unique.”

“I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.”

“I’ve learned that if you give a person your attention, they will see that you care, and it will help them more than you think.”

“I’ve learned that it’s never too late to become the person you were meant to be.”

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

“I’ve learned that nothing is ever as bad as it seems, and sometimes it’s better to say nothing than to say something you might regret.”

“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 success is not about what you accomplish; it’s about how you give back.”

“I’ve learned that the more you give, the more you get.”

“I’ve learned that there is nothing more beautiful than the right kind of love.”

“I’ve learned that when I have nothing left to give, I give more.”

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

“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.”

“Life loves the liver of it.”

“Love does not just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.”

“Love is an endless act of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.”

“Love is the only reality, and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth at the heart of creation.”

“Love knows no boundaries.”

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

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

“Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”

“Nothing will work unless you do.”

“One must be careful not to get too comfortable in success.”

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

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

“The heart of a woman is the best thing in the world.”

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

“There is no greater love than the love that loves itself.”

“There is nothing greater than the joy of discovering who you are and knowing that you are enough.”

“There is nothing wrong with loving yourself.”

“There’s a world of difference between being a person and being a human being.”

“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power.”

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

“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter their color.”

“We allow ourselves to be enslaved by things, but freedom lies in simplicity.”

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

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

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

“We need to do better as a nation.”

“We need to heal, and it’s going to take some time, but we need to heal.”

“What you’re supposed to be is what you are. It’s as simple as that.”

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

“When you are through changing, you are through.”

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

“You are enough. You are so enough, it is unbelievable how enough you are.”

“You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it’s all right.”

“You can't really know where you're going until you know where you've been.”

“You can’t be responsible for what others do, but you can control your response.”

“You can’t experience the power of peace unless you’ve experienced the pain of turmoil.”

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

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.”

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