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This morning, I came across a few quotes by Maya Angelou on Oprah Daily.
It goes unsaid that all seven quotes warmed my heart. I mean, come on—it’s Maya Angelou, folks!
But there were three in particular that made me stop and sigh. I read them again and again. I kept the window open and returned to it every now and then.
I felt like sharing them. I wanted to share them. Whatever you’re doing right now, stop for a minute and delve into Angelou’s reliable wisdom.
1. “Love is that condition in the healing spirit so profound that it allows us to forgive.”
Let’s be honest, forgiveness is challenging. We don’t just wake up one day and feel absolutely ready to forgive those who have wronged us. Whether it’s a coworker, a partner, God, or ourselves, forgiveness is tough, and even after months or years, we might find ourselves in a state of turmoil, anger, blame, or resentment.
As someone who has struggled various times in practicing forgiveness, I have learned an undeniable lesson: forgiveness has always been there, inside of us, but we don’t tap into it until the power of our ego diminishes and we are finally able to move on and past what had happened.
In other words, behind our ego is love. In Angelou’s words, it is what allows us to forgive.
2. “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
Can I read this again? If this doesn’t perfectly and accurately describe love, I don’t know what will. As someone who has literally crossed oceans and seas and mountains for love, this seriously can’t be more true.
As Angelou wrote, love has no boundaries. No rules. No roads. It simply jumps. How many times have we jumped for love? I know I did. Not only do we do the impossible for love, we also believe it’s full of hope—beginnings.
And no matter how wrong we turn out to be, hope rarely dies in our hearts. It’s what maintains love; it’s what keeps it alive and breathing.
3. “I know for sure that love saves me and that it is here to save us all.”
Ah, my soul just took a long, promising sigh. Yes, yes, yes to every single word in this line. Love saves me from hatred, from pain, from hurt, from suffering. Love saves me from me. Love saves us all!
Any other quotes that you absolutely love from Maya Angelou? Share them in the comments.
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AUTHOR: ELYANE YOUSSEF
IMAGE: MUHAMMEDSALAH_/INSTAGRAM
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