maya angelou

This woman is amazing.

She grew up in poverty, was abused by her stepfather, became a mother at 17, worked as a madame to provide for her son, won a dance scholarship, danced on television variety shows, started her own dance troupe, toured as an opera singer, recorded an album, edited a newspaper, fought for the civil rights movement alongside both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, learned French, Spanish and Fante, composed songs for movies and Roberta Flack, wrote poetry, short stories, television scripts, screenplays and five autobiographies, produced plays, directed a movie, acted on a television show, movie and Broadway play, lectured at universities, studied for her doctorate, nominated for a National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award and an Emmy, mentored Oprah Winfrey, recited a poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration, hosted a radio show, campaigned for gay rights, Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama... etcetera.

"Love life, engage in it, give it all you’ve got, love it with a passion, because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it."
— Maya Angelou