Celebrating Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou American poet and author, died at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at the age of 86.

Maya Angelou was known for her literacy works, poems, wise words and encouragement. Some of her works include “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” 

I watched her on Oprah’s MasterClass #Masterclass on TLC where she talked about her life. I learnt was that no matter how challenged your beginning or background was, no matter what your experiences in life have been you can overcome with perseverance, someone believing in you, believing in yourself and the Grace of God.

She didn’t speak till she was 7 or 8 yet she went on to be one of the most influential speakers and writers. She had a teacher who kept encouraging her and who kept telling her that she knew she could and would speak, this same teacher introduced her to books and young Maya loved to read.

She personally survived several personal trials, she was a child of the depression, she grew up in the segregated south, experienced the trauma of childhood rape, gave birth as a teenager!

However her ability to rise above all the challenges she faced gave me encouragement that there is nothing you cannot overcome. You do not have to be defined by your experiences or by what someone else labels you – no matter who they are.

Angelou: In Her Words

“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.”

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.”

“The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.”

“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it.”

“Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”

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

“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”

“Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant.”

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”

Rest in Peace Maya Angelou!

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