Lifestyle
A Tribute To Dr. Maya Angelou
Last week, the world lost one of the greatest American poets ever to put pen to paper, Dr. Maya Angelou. Poet, activist, and teacher, no moment in the 86 years Maya Angelou’s life went to waste. She consistently and generously shared her empowering words of wisdom; words that continue to resonate within the hearts of people everywhere. It’s a privilege to have had her as a representative voice for this generation. Miss Jessie’s wishes to honor memory and continue her legacy, by sharing some of our favorite Maya Angelou gems. We also encourage you to take a listen of Dr. Maya Angelou reading of her infamous poem, Phenomenal Woman. May her inspiring words fill your hearts with strength, and continue to inspire you.
1. “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
2. “Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Invite one to stay.”
3. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain.”
4. “If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is present in the present…Gratefully.”
5. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
6. “When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”
7. “My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.”
8. “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.”
9.” If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?”
10. “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
11. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
12. “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.”
13. “If you have only one smile, 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.”
14. “You Alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
15. “When people show you who they are, believe them.”
16. “Shine on. Let nothing dim the light that shines from within.”
17. “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
18. “A women in harmony with her spirit is like a river flowing. She goes where she will without pretense and arrives at her destination prepared to be herself…and only herself.”
19. “Be a rainbow to someone else’s cloud.”
20. “Stand up straight and realize who you are. That you tower over your circumstances. You are a child of god. Stand up straight.”
21. “Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.”
22. “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve beauty.”
23. “Have enough courage to trust love one more time.”
24. “Each of us has lived through some devastation, some loneliness, some weather superstorm or spiritual superstorm. When we look at each other, we must say, “I understand. I understand how you feel because I have been there myself.” We must support each other because each of us is more alike than we are unalike.”
25. Maya Angelou recites “Phenomenal Woman”
“Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
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.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.”
