Tuesday, March 10, 2020

The eNotes Blog How To Live a Life That Matters Maya Angelou on Love andAttitude

How To Live a Life That Matters Maya Angelou on Love andAttitude Maya Angelou  was born on April 4, 1928 and is true to the title of her own poem, a â€Å"Phenomenal Woman.† Few people can say they have been a novelist, actress, singer, director, scholar, researcher, poet, and brothel madam, yet Angelou has filled all of these roles and many more, including being an integral part of the civil rights movement. Decades after her time on Earth, many of us still hold  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,  And  Still I Rise,  Amazing Peace, and her  other works  close to our hearts. As a survivor of poverty, familial discord, and a harrowing childhood, Angelou was able to turn her remarkable, tumultuous life into creative inspiration that is  still  inspiring us today. (Source: ) Ive learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. If you dont like something, change it. If you cant change it, change your attitude. Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. Try to be a rainbow in someones cloud. We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated. You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lines. You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, Ill rise. Nothing will work unless you do. You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it. All great artists draw from the same resource: the human heart, which tells us that we are all more alike than we are unalike. Theres a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth. The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned. If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me? Have a question about Maya Angelou? Ask your question on Homework Help or browse answered questions about her  here.