It is impossible to struggle for civil rights, equal rights for blacks, without including whites. Because equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like the air: we all have it, or none of us has it. That is the truth of it. Maya Angelou airblackcivil share on social
I would be a liar, a hypocrite, or a fool - and I'm not any of those - to say that I don't write for the reader. I do. But for the reader who hears, who really will work at it, going behind what I seem to say. So I write for myself and that reader who will pay the dues. Maya Angelou duefoolhear share on social
If we lose love and self respect for each other, this is how we finally die. Maya Angelou diefinallylose Change image and share on social
I'm always disappointed when people don't live up to their potential. I know that a number of people look down on themselves and consequently on everybody who looks like them. But that, too, can change. Maya Angelou changedisappointlive share on social
If I walked into the kitchen without washing my hands as a kid, I'd hear a loud 'A-hem!' from my mother or grandmother. Now I count on other people to do the same. Maya Angelou countgrandmotherhand Change image and share on social
Elimination of illiteracy is as serious an issue to our history as the abolition of slavery. Maya Angelou abolitioneliminationhistory Change image and share on social
At 50, I began to know who I was. It was like waking up to myself. Maya Angelou beginwake Change image and share on social
You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lines. You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I'll rise. Maya Angelou bitterdirtdust Change image and share on social
Our stories come from our lives and from the playwright's pen, the mind of the actor, the roles we create, the artistry of life itself and the quest for peace. Maya Angelou actorartistrycreate Change image and share on social
Growing up, I decided, a long time ago, I wouldn't accept any manmade differences between human beings, differences made at somebody else's insistence or someone else's whim or convenience. Maya Angelou acceptagobeing Change image and share on social