We have to confront ourselves. Do we like what we see in the mirror? And, according to our light, according to our understanding, according to our courage, we will have to say yea or nay - and rise! Maya Angelou confrontcouragelight Change image and share on social
I'm a religious woman. And I feel I have responsibility. I have no modesty at all. I'm even afraid of it - it's a learned affectation and it's just stuck on me like decals. Now I pray for humility because that comes from inside out. Maya Angelou affectationafraiddecal share on social
On Saturday afternoons when all the things are done in the house and there's no real work to be done, I play Bach and Chopin and turn it up real loudly and get a good bottle of chardonnay and sit out on my deck and look out at the garden. Maya Angelou afternoonbachbottle share on social
Of course, there are those critics - New York critics as a rule - who say, 'Well, Maya Angelou has a new book out and of course it's good but then she's a natural writer.' Those are the ones I want to grab by the throat and wrestle to the floor because it takes me forever to get it to sing. I work at the language. Maya Angelou angeloubookcritic share on social
I'm a serious aficionada of country music - Reba McEntire, Toby Keith, Montgomery Gentry. I've even written some songs. They haven't done anything of mine yet. But it's only a matter of time. Maya Angelou aficionadacountrygentry Change image and share on social
The poetry you read has been written for you, each of you - black, white, Hispanic, man, woman, gay, straight. Maya Angelou blackgayhispanic Change image and share on social
I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Maya Angelou girlgrablapel Change image and share on social
When a person is going through hell, and she encounters someone who went through hellish hell and survived, then she can say, 'Mine is not so bad as all that. She came through, and so can I.' Maya Angelou badencounterhell Change image and share on social
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Maya Angelou attitudechange 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