Maya Angelou's quotes to live by

This one-woman cheering squad's inspiration for leading a life of passion & purpose

Welcome to the Literary Ladies lite Sunday edition. I can’t help but think how proud Maya Angelou would have been to have witnessed last week’s DNC. So many strong women delivering powerful messages, some of whom, directly or indirectly, were inspired by this multi-talented poet, civil rights activist, and memoirist.

In the course of Maya Angelou’s career, she published seven memoirs (starting with the classic I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, (still being banned and challenged decades after its 1969 publication), plus several volumes of essays poetry.

She also wrote plays and screenplays, received dozens of awards, and  collected more than thirty honorary doctoral degrees. Angelou led a bold, inspiring life, and in her words and deeds it was clear that she wanted to pass along her blazing light.

If you need some oomph heading into the fall season (yay!), here are some classic quotes by Maya that might just set of a spark. The first one just below seems particularly apt in the wake of a convention that featured plenty of joy, yet came with the knowledge that as individuals, families, and communities, we all need to do the work in front of us with passion, conviction, and grace.

“We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.”

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“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.”

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“Determine to live life with flair and laughter.”

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“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”