Maya Angelou: Likeness

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

“You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.”

“What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.”

“Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time.”

“I would like to be known as an intelligent woman, a courageous woman, a loving woman, a woman who teaches by being.”

“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.”

“You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.”

“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.”

“In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours.
In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.”

“Talent is like electricity. We don't understand electricity. We use it.”

“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.”

“Making a decision to write was a lot like deciding to jump into a frozen lake.”

“Just like moons and suns,
With certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.”

“Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?”

“Life likes to be taken by the lapel and told, "I'm with you kid. Let's go!”

“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.”

“You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.”