I don’t remember when I became a fan of Maya Angelou and her quotes. It was probably back in the 90’s when she was on Oprah. I remember my mother talking highly of this beautiful, spiritual woman who spoke to her heart. And of course, even as a teen, anything that mother loved, I loved too.
As a teen, I understood her words and I loved what she said, but I didn’t really grasp the beauty and brilliance of her heart until I became an adult and a mother.
Now, her words play through my head on a DAILY basis. Quotes like:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you’ve said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel”
remind me that my children may not remember the day to day moments of our lives together, but they will always remember the way I make them feel. It helps me greet them with grace and love instead of harshness, even in the difficult moments.
“Do the best you can, until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”
This one helps me forgive myself when I make mistakes. Like most parents, I don’t purposely mess up and I want to do the best for my children. But, I do mess up now and again. And when I don’t handle a situation very well, I learn from it and do better next time. Because when you know better, do better!
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
I want to THRIVE as a parent, I don’t want to just survive through it. I look for ways to make it fun. I look for ways to enjoy it. And try to be in style while doing it.
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
and
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude about it.”
Yep, can’t always control my kids, but I can control my reactions and decide to handle the problem with love. That’s the whole basis of the Stop Yelling Challenge.
“If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?”
Yes, yes! It is MY JOB to be good to myself, and when I am good to me, I am good to my kids.
“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”
Be present. Be available. Be there for my kids. Some days this is harder than other, but I look at them every single day and am thankful that I get to be their Mom.
“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
Love. Just love.
I am thankful that this world was graced with Maya Angelou’s presence. I am grateful for her, because she helped make me a better Mom.
She was an amazing woman and has left us a wonderful legacy in her writings and amazing quotes like these!
We truly was and will always be an inspirational women and person to all of us. I hope that our children learn to appreciate her quotes as much as our generation did, especially as she would often show up on our television screens through Oprah or Sesame Street!
Great quotes! I always enjoy hearing Ms. Angelou’s words and this is a nice list of some to refer to as a young mother of young boys that I can use to inspire me.
My favorite of her many amazing quotes is: “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.”