Maya Angelou

As far as I knew white women were never lonely, except in books. White men adored them, Black men desired them and Black women worked for them.

The sadness of the women’s movement is that they don’t allow the necessity of love. See, I don’t personally trust any revolution where love is not allowed.

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.

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

Children’s talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.

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.

The most advanced nations are always those who navigate the most.

Rare virtues are like rare plants or animals, things that have not been able to hold their own in the world. A virtue to be serviceable must, like gold, be alloyed with some commoner but more durable metal.

A private Life is to be preferred; the Honor and Gain of publick Posts, bearing no proportion with the Comfort of it

Breed is stronger than pasture.

Our whole life is startlingly moral. There is never an instant’s truce between virtue and vice.

If he really thinks there is no distinction between vice and virtue, when he leaves our houses let us count our spoons.

Health is the condition of wisdom, and the sign is cheerfulness – an open and noble temper.

Everything that enlarges the sphere of human powers, that shows man he can do what he thought he could not do, is valuable.

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.

Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.

She was taken by surprise at quite how breathtaking the twinkle in her eyes was. She listened and watched attentively, magnetized. As butterflies danced on her lips, her own stomach felt butterflies.

Most people want to avoid pain, and discipline is usually painful.

Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen.

What makes all doctrines plain and clear? About two hundred pounds a year. And that which was proved true before, prove false again? Two hundred more.

A man thinks as well through his legs and arms as this brain.