Standing Strong: 14 Powerful Quotes from Maya Angelou
And why this influential woman should never be forgotten
As a teenager, I read everything I could get my hands on. And when I was about 15, I got my hands on a second-hand copy of ‘Ik weet waarom gekooide vogels zingen’. It’s the Dutch translation of ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ written by Dr. Maya Angelou.
I had no clue about this writer, this black woman in some far-away America. But after reading the first pages, I was hooked. I scored the other 6 volumes of her autobiography — because that’s what it was — in the years to come and they guided me through my puberty.
Not that I had much in common with Maya. I grew up as a white girl in a small Dutch town. Far from dangerous or challenging when it comes to fighting for survival. She had a hard life, being a black mother in the USA at a time when life was not really easy.
Her autobiography mesmerized me. Her wisdom, her hardships, her view on life have taken root in me. And I’m glad of it.
Although I’ll never know what it will be like to live in the times of Martin Luther King and share ‘I have a dream’ with him. Or work for Malcolm X. Or stand up on stage in a nightclub singing and dancing.
“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.”
— Maya Angelou in the poem “Still I rise”
However, I can definitely do with some courage sometimes. It can be scary to become visible. To speak my truths. And in this, she inspires me. With her courage, her outspokenness and her enthusiasm for life.
“Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?”
— Maya Angelou in the poem “Still I rise”
And here she inspires me again. With her soulfulness, her natural beauty, her sexiness. With her lust for life and her absolute womanness.
Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson (April 4, 1928 — May 28, 2014) was an American poet, singer, and civil rights activist. She became a poet and writer after a series of occupations as a young adult, including fry cook, sex worker, nightclub dancer and performer, cast member of the opera Porgy and Bess, and journalist in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. — source: Wikipedia
Since I found my own voice last year, I started writing about the Blue Economy, permaculture and regenerative solutions for our broken world. And she’s with me again. Helping me to be brave whenever someone is criticizing and I feel myself shrinking…
With my work, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants and she definitely is one of them. In this little piece of film, she shares her wisdom in three words. “Just do right.” And she says it with such compassion! Everyone can try…Today, tomorrow, every day again... Just do right, give your best, your best is good enough… I like it!
“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
This is a quote I often use when I give storytelling workshops. Storytelling seems to be about telling the best stories. But it’s not… Storytelling is much more about inspiring others to find their own stories and not be afraid to tell them. Let’s all tell our stories and inspire others…
In this article, I elaborate on my storytelling practice and give some examples of great storytellers I met.
“If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be” — Maya Angelou
A very wise quote, this one. I try not to follow the flow of other people, only my own flow. You can also be your own guru. We all have that amazing person inside who can do whatever she (or he) decides to do. One choice at a time.
“I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision” — Maya Angelou
This is a quote I kept close to my heart during my journey into becoming really free in work and life. I can really listen to my heart now. Some call it intuition. It works for me! I often stand still and listen before I make a choice…
“We need much less than we think we need” — Maya Angelou
When I started out studying sustainability and regeneration, I was sometimes confused. How can we ever live within the boundaries of our planet? Well, Maya is right here. If we live a simple life, the path shows itself.
Less material possessions, less conflicting emotions, less jumbled thoughts. And my life became abundant in all the important aspects because of ‘less’. Less is more…?
“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time” — Maya Angelou
I wasn’t sure I could do this one. But I did. And it brought me not only love from one man but also from a whole family and a dog…
“Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls” — Maya Angelou
Patience and passion. I can’t agree more. Patience is about walking your path one step at a time. Building one brick on top of the former one. It’s how I built my freelance career. It’s how I live my life. And passion paints my life in the most beautiful, vibrant colors…
“Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option” — Maya Angelou
This is a quote I cannot relate to from my own experience. But I do recognize how easy it is to stretch your boundaries and get further and further away from where you want to be. So, it’s good advice.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have” — Maya Angelou
So true! And I especially started to like it when I discovered the feminine way of creating. It was counter-intuitive for me. The heroine’s journey starts on the inside and is driven forward by intuition. It’s great! I wrote about it and will most probably write more about it in the future…
“When you get, give. When you learn, teach” — Maya Angelou
I’ll turn this one around to make it even stronger, even truer: “When you give, you’ll get. When you teach, you’ll learn.”
“Determine to live life with flair and laughter” — Maya Angelou
I’ve been — and sometimes still am — too serious about life. Flair and laughter bring a ‘lightness of being’ that makes life easier to bear. And these positive vibes can only bring more good in the world. So let’s laugh, let’s dance…
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better” — Maya Angelou
Ow, this is one I have needed in my life. Having been a perfectionist and still prone to trying too hard, this is sound advice. You can only do your best at a certain moment. When you have learned new things, you can take the next step and do better. Let’s be compassionate and realize that everyone (including you, including me) is learning all the time…
“Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else” — Maya Angelou
The final one for now. Standing up, standing strong. It is what I admire so much in Maya. She had such courage! And whenever I feel small, I think of her. I stretch my shoulders and hold my head high. Thank you, Maya, for making me a little braver…
And thank you, Mike, for adding your wise energy to my tribute to Maya Angelou. You and she are in my heart…
If you want to connect, you can find me on LinkedIn or Facebook. Or somewhere probably reading a book. Or two…