Maya Angelou

If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, read more

If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning "Good morning" at total strangers.

The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even read more

The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerence. It is seldom accepted as an inevitable outcome of the struggle won by survivors, and deserves respect if not ent

We all need the waters of the Mercy River. Though they don't run deep, there's usually enough, just enough, for read more

We all need the waters of the Mercy River. Though they don't run deep, there's usually enough, just enough, for the extravagance of our lives.

I do not believe that the accident of birth makes people sisters and brothers. It makes them siblings. Gives them read more

I do not believe that the accident of birth makes people sisters and brothers. It makes them siblings. Gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood are conditions people have to work at. It's a serious matter. You compromise, you give, you take, you stand firm, and you're relentless...And it is an investment. Sisterhood means if you happen to be in Burma and I happen to be in San Diego and I'm married to someone who is very jealous and you're married to somebody who is very possessive, if you call me in the middle of the night, I have to come.

love life, engage in it, give it all you've got. love it with a passion, because life truly does give read more

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