If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?
Maya AngelouRead
My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote encourages individuals to remain true to themselves and to spread kindness despite the negativity in the world.
Maya Angelou's quote speaks to the importance of authenticity and the power of kindness in a world that can often be harsh and unforgiving. It encourages individuals to embrace their true selves and to continue showing acts of compassion and goodness, which can serve as a beacon of hope and positivity in a mean-spirited environment. By doing so, one can make a significant impact and inspire others to act kindly as well.
Themes
KindnessAuthenticityPositivityCompassionSelfWorld
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a motivational speech to inspire others to be kind.
More from Maya Angelou
All quotes βI 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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