RIP Maya Angelou

A gentle giant of a woman who offered inspiration, wisdom and activism through poetry is gone but never forgotten.

"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."

- Interview for Beautifully Said Magazine (2012)

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."

- Letter to My Daughter (2009)

"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."
- Angelou's Facebook (2011)

"The need for change bulldozed a road down the center of my mind."
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud."

- Letter to My Daughter (2009)

"You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive."

- Interview from the April 2011 edition of O Magazine (2011)

"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."

- Interview in USA TODAY (March 5, 1988)

"Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope."

- Angelou's Facebook (Jan. 11, 2013)