Maya Angelou

"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."

"My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return."

"Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it!"

"If I'm the people's poet, then I ought to be in people's hands - and, I hope, in their heart."

"I'm happy to be a writer - of prose, poetry, every kind of writing. Every person in the world who isn't a recluse, hermit or mute uses words. I know of no other art form that we always use."

"There's a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure truth."

"My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return."

"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."

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass."

"My life has been one great big joke,A dance that's walked,A song that's spoke,I laugh so hard I almost choke,When I think about myself."

"I want to thank you, Lord, for life and all that's in it. Thank you for the day and for the hour, and the minute."

"That's what you want to do? Then nothing beats a trial but a failure. Give it everything you've got. I've told you many times, 'Cant do is like Dont Care.' Neither of them have a home."

"To those who are given much, much is expected."

"My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return."

"It is this belief in a power larger than myself and other than myself which allows me to venture into the unknown and even the unknowable."

"Poetry puts starch in your backbone so you can stand, so you can compose your life."

"Nothing will work unless you do."

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass."