We all know that February is Black History Month. So, in honor of the incredible struggles that we as a nation have overcome (and are still battling) for the sake of civil rights and equality, Her Campus UNF is dedicating each Friday of the month to recognizing a Black woman from history.
Maya Angelou was an amazing poet, author, and activist in the name of civil rights. It is important to remember, especially as female college students, what many of her works have taught us, and to let them resonate with us in order to encourage and empower ourselves, even if we’re the only ones to do it.
Her death in May of 2014 was a shock to the entire nation, and it was a blow to the heart for many of us.
She grew up rough, as many black Americans did in her time, and recounted her childhood and more in her 1969 autobiography, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.” But this book is just one of the many great pieces that have come from this phenomenal woman.
There have been numerous stories and poems, including “Still I Rise,” “Equality,” and “Million Man March,” that have touched and inspired people all over. Her legacy will continue to thrive thanks to the words she has given us.
In honor of that, we want to share eleven Maya Angelou quotes that will hopefully inspire you as much as they did us.
- “Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.”
- “A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.”
- “Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”
- “You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, ‘I forgive. I’m finished with it.’”
- “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”
- “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”
- “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
- “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
- “I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.”
- “All great achievements require time.”
- “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
Photo Credit:
- Initial Image
- Everything Else (Original sources in photo byline)