One of my favourite books is I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. In fact, Maya Angelou is one of my favourite writers full stop. She has had an amazing life and has overcame so many obstacles. She truly is an inspiring person so I thought I would source some of her quotes for you. I hope they add to your life in the same way they did mine.

‘There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.’

‘You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, ‘I forgive. I’m finished with it.’

‘All great achievements require time.’

‘Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.’

‘Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.’

‘My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.’

‘No sun outlasts its sunset but will rise again and bring the dawn.’

‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’

‘A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.’

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

‘If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.’

‘When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.’

‘Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.’

‘I work very hard, and I play very hard. I’m grateful for life. And I live it – I believe life loves the liver of life. Live it.’

‘When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.’

‘I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.’

‘Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.’

‘We have to confront ourselves. Do we like what we see in the mirror? And, according to our light, according to our understanding, according to our courage, we will have to say yea or nay – and rise!’

‘My mother said I must always be tolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors.’

‘Nothing will work unless you do.’

‘I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.’

‘It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.’

‘I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.’

‘We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.’

‘Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.’

‘One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.’