If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?
Maya AngelouRead
The sisters and brothers that you meet give you the materials which your character uses to build itself. It is said that some people are born great, others achieve it, some have it thrust upon them. In truth, the ways in which your character is built have to do with all three of those. Those around you, those you choose, and those who choose you.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our character is shaped by the people we meet and interact with throughout life.
This quote from Maya Angelou emphasizes the idea that our character is not solely determined by our inherent traits or achievements, but is significantly influenced by our relationships with others. It suggests that everyone we encounter contributes to the development of who we are, highlighting the importance of community, choice, and the interconnectedness of human experiences in shaping our identity.
Themes
CharacterRelationshipsGrowthCommunityInfluence
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal development, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of surrounding oneself with positive influences.
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
Similar quotes
No man is born believing that he has dominion over women. Instead, this view is handed down from generation to generation and amplified through social custom, culture, and popular media.
Cyril RamaphosaRead
Everybody wants respect. In their own way, three-year-olds would like respect, and acknowledgment, in their terms.
Aretha FranklinRead
If you want to do really important things in life and big things in life, you can't do anything by yourself. And your best teams are your friends and your siblings.
Deepak ChopraRead
The essential problems remain the same... The kids I write about are asking for the same things I wanted. They want two contradictory things. They want to be the same as everyone else, and they want to be different from everyone else. They want acceptance for both.
E. L. KonigsburgRead
I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.
Jackie RobinsonRead
For anyone who says 'Who cares if you're gay? It's 2018,' well, a lot of people care because a lot of people had the opportunity to be out, and there's been a lot of fear surrounding it. This is the first time we're seeing representation, and because of that, it is a big deal.
Gus KenworthyRead