Of course, there are those critics - New York critics as a rule - who say, 'Well, Maya Angelou has a new book out and of course it's good but then she's a natural writer.' Those are the ones I want to grab by the throat and wrestle to the floor because it takes me forever to get it to sing. I work at the language.

There's something which impels us to show our inner souls. The more courageous we are, the more we succeed in explaining what we know.

History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.

When I say 'I am a Christian', I'm not shouting 'I'm saved'. I'm whispering 'I get lost'. That is why I chose this way.

Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.

I long for the time when all human history is taught as one history, because it really is.

I dreamt we walked together along the shore. We made satisfying small talk and laughed. This morning I found sand in my shoe and a seashell in my pocket. Was I only dreaming?