Laugh as much as you can.

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.

Education helps one case cease being intimidated by strange situations.

We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated. It may even be necessary to encounter the defeat, so that we can know who we are.

Listen to some good poetry. You see? It keeps us from thinking we are only what our blatant appetites describe us as.

I thought if I could face the worst danger voluntarily, and triumph, I would forever have power over it.

If you are always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.