Maya Angelou's best quotes (with sources)
The top 3 according to 98 votes from people: When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. · You may write me down in history / With your bitter, twisted lies, / You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I'll rise. · Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency.. (Updated Sep 4, 2021.)
"Still I Rise", believing people the first time they show who they are and courage as the first virtue: Maya Angelou's most quoted lines, each with the poem, book or interview it comes from (and without the misattributed ones).
Top 11
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1
When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.
Told to Oprah Winfrey, who has repeated it since her 1997 interview with Angelou.
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2
You may write me down in history / With your bitter, twisted lies, / You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Poem "Still I Rise", in And Still I Rise (1978).
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3
Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency.
Interview in USA Today (1988).
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4
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
Letter to My Daughter (2009).
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5
Self-pity in its early stages is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.
Gather Together in My Name (1974).
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6
You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.
Interview (1982), in Conversations with Maya Angelou (1989).
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7
This is a wonderful day. I've never seen this one before.
Tweet (2013), recalled in her obituaries.
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8
Children's talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969).
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9
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
Post on her Facebook page (2011).
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10
Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.
Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou (2014).
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11
I don't trust people who don't love themselves and tell me "I love you."
Lecture at Weber State University (1997).
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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