Maya Angelou

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through."

"Poetry is music written for the human voice."

"Do the best you can until you know better."

"Friendship is a simple tool through which we defeat loneliness."

"I still believe we form our character through our choices."

"There are moments when I regret not taking things further with men."

"Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host but never the object of its displeasure."

"I've lived my life in a manner in which I can look back and feel pleased."

"I love the Psalms. They're poetic."

"The black condition is something I know about."

"Music was my refuge as a child."

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues."

"Nothing will work unless you do."

"We are not made to understand life; we are made to live it."

"If you find it in your heart to care for somebody, don't let distance matter."

"The way forward is with a broken heart."

"Let this be the hour that we draw close each other's heart."

"I am my mother's daughter, I am my father's sister, I am my grandparent's granddaughter."

"Develop enough courage so that you can stand up for an idea you believe in."

"Ask for what you need and if it's denied, ask again and again."

"My mother had a tremendous impact on me."

"I recommend to you and to all, the advantages of sitting down to eat together."

"The need for change bulldozed a road down the middle of my mind."

"Love liberates."

"None of my Sylvia Plath readings ever helped me get over it."

"I believe that one can never leave home."

"Knowledge is power."

"Time is always on my side and money always follows."

"The truth is, I close my eyes and see a far better life than the one I'm living."

"Do you want to know the secret? I have lived too long to pretend."