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Maya Angelou, American poet, civil rights activist, and autobiographer, has died. For decades, her words shed light on injustice in the world and inspired generations of people. Here are nine poignant lines from her poetry, speeches, and other writings.
1) Life loves the liver of it
From her book Letter to My Daughter.
2) You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
Also from Letter to My Daughter.
3) It's in the reach of my arms/The span of my hips,/The stride of my step,/The curl of my lips./I'm a woman/Phenomenally./Phenomenal woman,/That's me.
From her poem "Phenomenal Woman."
4) There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
From her book Black and Powerful.
5) Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.
From her Facebook page January 11, 2013.
6) I pledge to you, my sister, I will never cease. I mean to say I want to see a better world. I mean to say I want to see some peace somewhere. I mean to say I want to see some honesty, some fair play..
From her speech at the memorial service for Coretta Scott King.
7) 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.
From her poem "Still I Rise."
8) Be agile and willing, but if one is being asked to contradict, you must remember there is different in manner, but not different in meaning.
From Twitter, April 16, 2014.
9) I ask you: "Next?" So far, you have done well. Next?
From a speech at Georgetown, July 28, 2012.
To read more of Angelou's writing, click here.
