World-famous Maya Angelou has been quoted far and wide. The pioneering literary giant was not only an author but also a singer, dancer, writer, essayist, poet, editor, playwright, composer, actress, and civil rights activist.
If you are looking for her best quotes and sayings, we have the perfect collection for you. But before we dive right into that, how about a little background information on who Maya Angelou was? Who was this multi-talented icon?
Maya Angelou was born on 4 April 1928 in St Louis, Missouri, as Marguerite Annie Johnson. Her older brother nicknamed her Maya. She was introduced to authors like Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, and Edgar Allan Poe early in her life.
When she was 16, Maya became the first black female streetcar conductor, a job she had wanted so bad. She gave birth to her son, Clyde, at the age of seventeen after completing school. Maya got married to Greek electrician Tosh Angelos in 1951 despite the condemnation of interracial relationships and the disapproval of her mother.
Maya began taking dancing seriously, and after her marriage ended in 1954, she went on to dance professionally in nightclubs. She toured Europe and even recorded her first album, Miss Calypso. In 1959, Maya was urged by novelist John Oliver Killens to pursue her writing career.
That inspired her to join the Harlem Writers Guild and be published for the first time. She began her activism in 1960 after meeting Martin Luther King Jr. She also worked with Malcolm X. Maya openly talked about her personal life in the book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Even with attempts to ban her books, Maya remained a respected spokesperson, bestselling author, and significant influence until she died in 2014. Here is a collection of the most memorable Maya Angelou quotes and sayings of all time.