Remembering Maya Angelou: 15 Of Her Most Inspirational Quotes

Celebrated poet and author Maya Angelou died at her home in Winston-Salem, N.C on Wednesday at the age of 86.

Tributes have begun pouring in from all corners of public life and as the world mourns the death of a cultural icon, we remember her legacy through some of her most inspirational quotes.

1. “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

2. “You may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I will rise.”

3. “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.”

4. “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”

5. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”

6. “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

7. “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”

8. “If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?”

9. “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.”

10. “My great hope is that I laugh as much as I cry: to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.”

11. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

12. “Love recognizes no hurdles. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”

13. “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”

14. “Love life, engage in it, give it all you’ve got. Love it with a passion, because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it.”

15.”I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

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