Maya Angelou

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

“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.”

“When I'm writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we're capable of, how we feel, how we lose and stand up, and go on from darkness into darkness.”

“Children's talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.”

“There is nothing so pitiful as a young cynic because he has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing.”

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

“You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”

“Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”

“Self-pity in its early stages is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.”