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Maya Angelou
(4. 4. 1928 - . . )- Profession: Poet
Maya Angelou (/ˈmaɪ.ə ˈændʒəloʊ/; born Marguerite Ann Johnson; April 4, 1928) is an American author and poet. She has published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than fifty years. She has received dozens of awards and over thirty honorary doctoral degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of seventeen, and brought her international recognition and acclaim.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She is respected as a spokesperson of black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of black culture. Although attempts have been made to ban her books from some US libraries, her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide. Angelou's major works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics have characterized them as autobiographies. She has made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing, and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes such as racism, identity, family, and travel. Angelou is best known for her autobiographies, but she is also an established poet, although her poems have received mixed reviews.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She is respected as a spokesperson of black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of black culture. Although attempts have been made to ban her books from some US libraries, her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide. Angelou's major works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics have characterized them as autobiographies. She has made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing, and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes such as racism, identity, family, and travel. Angelou is best known for her autobiographies, but she is also an established poet, although her poems have received mixed reviews.
Maya Angelou said
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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.
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There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
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If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.
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A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.
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The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.
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I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.
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We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
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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.
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You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
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Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.
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