In their own words

Maya Angelou quotes

214 quotations, each verified against its source and credited to the work it comes from — the wording as Maya Angelou wrote or said it, not as the internet passes it around. Page 3 of 9.

And Still I Rise (1978)

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Phenomenal Woman”

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Still I Rise”

I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Still I Rise”

You may write me down in history

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Still I Rise”

And every goodbye ain’t gone.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “On Aging”

Does my sassiness upset you?

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Still I Rise”

My spirit is the surge of open seas.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Willie”

I was born to work but I ain’t no mule.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “One More Round”

Nostalgia is not my forté

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Just for a Time”

Because I love to live.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “The Lesson”

Does my haughtiness offend you?

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Still I Rise”

’Cause tired don’t mean lazy

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “On Aging”

But ain’t I lucky I can still breathe in.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “On Aging”

You’re all that I can call my own.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Woman Work”

I rise

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Still I Rise”

Shine on me, sunshine

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Woman Work”

I keep on dying again.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “The Lesson”

I’m the rustle in the autumn leaves.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Willie”

I will not deign to die.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Refusal”

I never learned to spell it.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Call Letters: Mrs. V.B.”

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Still I Rise”

The past is brighter yet.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “My Arkansas”

But getting up stays on my mind

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Bump d’Bump”

I was your sister.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “Kin”

Don’t bring me no rocking chair.

— Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), “On Aging”

From the books

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings quotes · 41 lines (1969)

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