Requiem in Pacem, Dr. Maya Angelou

“I believe that each of us comes from the Creator

trailing wisps of glory.”

(Mary Angelou, after her 65th birthday)

Influential author, teacher, newspaper editor, poet, educator, civil rights activist, film director and actress Maya Angelou died at 86 years old today in Winston-Salem, N.C. From humble beginnings in rural Arkansas as a teen high school dropout and a single mom, Maya Angelou rose to international fame after the publication of her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and became one of the most influential and beloved and renowned writers and poets of her generation.


Although widely known for her memoirs – totaling six volumes in length! – she probably reached the apex of her career when she delivered her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning,” on a chilly January morning in 1993 at President Clinton’s inauguration.

Some poignant quotes by Maya Angelou:

1. "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."
2. "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."
3. "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.”
4. “While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation.”
5. “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”

Several articles on Maya Angelou’s life and her accomplishments:

New York Times: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/29/arts/maya-angelou-lyrical-witness-of-the-jim-crow-south-dies-at-86.html?rref=us&_r=1&referrer

Relevant Magazine: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/slices/author-and-poet-maya-angelou-has-died

Maya Angelou’s official website: http://www.mayaangelou.com/