"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" Quotes
A memoir of resilience and hope as Maya Angelou navigates racism, trauma, and self-discovery.
nonfiction | 289 pages | Published in 1969
Quotes
Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible.
We allow our ignorance to prevail upon us and make us think we can survive alone, alone in patches, alone in groups, alone in races, even alone in genders.
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.
The problem was not our lack of knowledge of the world, it was our unwillingness to learn about it.
If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat.
Nothing will work unless you do.
Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.
One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
You only are free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all.
