If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?
Maya AngelouRead
I am never proud to participate in violence, yet I know that each of us must care enough for ourselves that we can be ready and able to come to our own defense when and wherever needed.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of self-defense while disapproving of violence.
Maya Angelou's quote reflects a deep moral stance, where she acknowledges that while she does not take pride in engaging in violence, she believes in the necessity of being prepared to defend oneself when required. It highlights the balance between personal safety and ethical considerations, suggesting that self-care and self-defense are vital components of one's dignity and humanity.
Themes
Self-DefenseViolenceCourageMoralityPreparedness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used during a self-defense workshop to emphasize the importance of being prepared without glorifying violence.
More from Maya Angelou
All quotes →I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God's will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standard and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scale of responsibility at commensurate speed.
Maya AngelouRead
The white American man makes the white American woman maybe not superfluous but just a little kind of decoration. Not really important to turning around the wheels of the state. Well the black American woman has never been able to feel that way. No black American man at any time in our history in the United States has been able to feel that he didn't need that black woman right against him, shoulder to shoulder-in that cotton field, on the auction block, in the ghetto, wherever.
Maya AngelouRead
I dreamt we walked together along the shore. We made satisfying small talk and laughed. This morning I found sand in my shoe and a seashell in my pocket. Was I only dreaming?
Maya AngelouRead
I know that I'm not the easiest person to live with. The challenge I put on myself is so great that the person I live with feels himself challenged. I bring a lot to bear, and I don't know how not to.
Maya AngelouRead
I think Clinton, after getting into office and into Washington, was shocked at being bludgeoned. So he spent time trying to be all things to all people - one way guaranteed not to be successful or respected in a lion's den. You can't just play around with all those big cats - you've got to take somebody on.
Maya AngelouRead
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