With the imminent arrival of famed poet Maya Angelou rapidly approaching, now is an appropriate time to provide our readers with some inspiration. Here are some of her most profound quotes, which you can look to for some motivation during these next five weeks of class and final exams.
“Nothing will work unless you do.”
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
“All great achievements require time.”
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”
“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.”
“In all my work, I try to say – ‘You may be given a load of sour lemons, why not try to make a dozen lemon meringue pies?’”
“Don’t let the incidents which take place in life bring you low. And certainly don’t whine. You can be brought low, that’s OK, but don’t be reduced by them. Just say, ‘That’s life.’”
“I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.”
“You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”
“The most important thing I can tell you about aging is this: If you really feel that you want to have an off-the-shoulder blouse and some big beads and thong sandals and a dirndl skirt and a magnolia in your hair, do it. Even if you’re wrinkled.”
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photo credit: flicker/Burns Library, Boston College