Maya Angelou

1928–2014 · American memoirist, poet & civil-rights activist

Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Annie Johnson, 1928–2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil-rights activist, best known for her landmark 1969 autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Her 1993 essay collection Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now gathered aphoristic reflections on courage, faith, and living well — among them the counsel against complaining that this quote paraphrases. Angelou’s fame has also made her one of the most misquoted authors online, which makes separating her real words from smoothed paraphrases worthwhile.

Traced to source

3 quotes we’ve traced to Maya Angelou

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

Attributed

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

Attributed

“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet”

Disputed

Not actually Maya Angelou

Often misattributed to Maya Angelou

Famous lines widely pinned on Maya Angelou that we’ve traced to someone else.

“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song”

actually Joan Walsh Anglund

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”

actually Carl W. Buehner (earliest credited)

On the research bench

Commonly pinned on Maya Angelou — under review

1 line flagged as pinned on Maya Angelou and queued for a full source trace — not yet verified.

“Poetry is music written for the human voice.”

Disputed

Did they really say it?

Thought Maya Angelou said something else?

Type a quote you think Maya Angelou said — we’ll tell you what we know, or point you to the best sources.