Was damn near teary eyed when I heard Maya Angelou died today. But then I realized 1) she was 86 and lived a fulfilled life and 2) she’ll never really die because what she left with us lives on. To celebrate her life, click for 5 of the best strings of words ever to leave her lips or her pen.
Jumping right in to her words:
1. “If you get, give. If you learn, teach.”
2. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – Yes honey. Us too 😉
3. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
4. 
5. In a day and time when most of what’s on TV misleads little girls and grown women into thinking they are only their butts, breasts and hair pieces, Maya’s poem, Phenomenal Woman, remains timeless and necessary:
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
—Maya Angelou
What a remarkable human being. Rest in perfect peace, Maya Angelou.
Join in – what are some of your favorite Maya Angelou words, writings and quotes?
