15 Quotes on Writing by Maya Angelou

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Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist and activist. During her 50-year-long career, she published seven autobiographies, three collections of essays and several books of poetry. Her most popular books include I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Letter to My Daughter.

Maya Angelou on Writing

“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.”

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

“You can't use up creativity. The more you use the more you have.”

“The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.”

“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.”

“When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature. If I were a young person today, trying to gain a sense of myself in the world, I would do that again by reading, just as I did when I was young.”

“The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.”

“Each time I write a book, every time I face that yellow pad, the challenge is so great. I have written eleven books, but each time I think, 'Uh oh, they're going to find out now. I've run a game on everybody and they're going to find me out.”

“I believe that the most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.”

“I make writing as much a part of my life as I do eating or listening to music.”

“Making a decision to write was a lot like deciding to jump into a frozen lake.”

“I want to write so well that a person is 30 or 40 pages in a book of mine before she realizes she's reading.”

“We need to remember that we are all created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed.”

“Talent is like electricity. We don't understand electricity. We use it.”

“When I'm writing, I write. And then it's as if the muse is convinced that I'm serious and says, 'Okay. Okay. I'll come.'”

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