You can't really know where you are going until you know where you have been.

Our stories come from our lives and from the playwright's pen, the mind of the actor, the roles we create, the artistry of life itself and the quest for peace.

Had I known that the heart breaks slowly, dismantling itself into unrecognizable plots of misery... had I known yet I would have loved you, your brash and insolent beauty, your heavy comedic face and knowledge of sweet delights, but from a distance I would have left you whole and wholly for the delectation of those who wanted more and cared less.

I am grateful to be a woman. I must have done something great in another life.

Some critics will write 'Maya Angelou is a natural writer' - which is right after being a natural heart surgeon.

Putting down on paper what you have to say is an important part of writing, but the words and ideas have to be shaped and cleaned, cleaned as severely as a dog cleans a bone, cleaned until there's not a shred of anything superfluous.

My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness.