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He Thrived With Passion And Compassion, Humor And Style. We Had Him Whether We Know Who He Was Or Did Not Know, He Was Ours And We Were His.
-Maya Angelou
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He Thrived With Passion

Maya Angelou
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He Thrived With Passion And Compassion, Humor And Style. We Had Him Whether We Know Who He Was Or Did Not Know, He Was Ours And We Were His.

Understanding the Quote: "he thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. we had him..."

This quote by Maya Angelou reflects deeply on the theme of passion. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Passion, Compassion, Style, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how Maya Angelou interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is celebrated for insightful thoughts on passion and compassion. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

Views: 34670
Topic
Passion
Compassion
Style
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Be Certain That You Do Not Die Without Having Done Something Wonderful For Humanity.
Inspiring
Death
Inspirational Life
I Am A Very Religious Person, So It Is The Presence Of God, The Constant Unwavering, Unrelenting Presence Of God Which Continues To Help Me To Keep A Character Which I Am Proud To Show.
Religious
Character
Proud
Let The Brain Go To Work, Let It Meet The Heart And You Will Be Able To Forgive.
Inspiring
Forgiveness
Heart
Yet It Is Only Love Which Sets Us Free.
Be Brave
Only Love
I Love The Melodies In The Old Testament, How Preachers Highlight Them When They Read From The Scripture. But I Was Influenced Forever By The New Testament. I Love The Beatitudes, Informing Us That The Meek Shall Inherit The Earth.
Forever
Scripture
Earth
Perhaps Travel Cannot Prevent Bigotry, But By Demonstrating That All Peoples Cry, Laugh, Eat, Worry, And Die, It Can Introduce The Idea That If We Try And Understand Each Other, We May Even Become Friends.
Life
Travel
Laughter
Being Free Is Being Able To Accept People For What They Are, And Not Try To Understand All They Are Or Be What They Are.
People
Being Free
Trying
Love Liberates. It Doesn't Just Hold - That's Ego. Love Liberates. It Doesn't Bind.
I Agree With Balzac And 19th-century Writers, Black And White, Who Say, 'i Write For Money.' Yes, I Think Everybody Should Be Paid Handsomely; I Insist On It, And I Pay People Who Work For Me, Or With Me, Handsomely.
Writing
Black And White
Thinking
All Knowledge Is Spendable Currency, Depending On The Market.
Life
Currency
Among Other Things, I'm Thinking "i'm A Child Of God." That's Amazing. And "i'm Not Only A Child Of God, But God Loves Me." The Hardest Part For Me Is To Realize That While God Loves Me, And I Am A Child Of God, I Have To See The Bigot And The Brute And The Rapist, And Whether He Or She Knows It Or Not, I Have To Know That That Person Is A Child Of God. That Is Part Of The Responsibility - And It's Hard.
Children
Responsibility
Thinking
If You Must Look Back, Do So Forgivingly. If You Will Look Forward, Do So Prayerfully. But The Wisest Course Would Be To Be Present In The Present Gratefully.
Would Be
Looks
Courses
We Need Much Less Than We Think We Need.
Inspirational
Thinking
What Matters
At Fifteen Life Had Taught Me Undeniably That Surrender, In Its Place, Was As Honorable As Resistance, Especially If One Had No Choice.
Life
Choices
Caged Birds
You Rose Into My Life Like A Promised Sunrise, Brightening My Days With The Light In Your Eyes. I've Never Been So Strong. Now I'm Where I Belong.
Good Morning
Strong
Eye
People Don't Always Remember What You Say Or Even What You Do, But They Always Remember How You Make Them Feel.
People
Remember
Feels
What I Think It Really Means Is: I'm A Teacher. I Am A Teacher. I Teach All The Time, As You Do And As All Of You Do-whether We Know It Or Not, Whether We Take Responsibility For It Or Not. I Hold Nothing Back Because I Want To See That Light Go Off. I Like To See The Children Say, 'i Never Thought Of That Before.' And I Think, 'i've Got Them!'
Teacher
Children
Mean
We Have It In Us To Be Splendid.
Splendid
Whenever I'm Around Some Who Is Modest, I Think, 'run Like Hell And All Of Fire.' You Don't Want Modesty, You Want Humility.
Running
Humility
Thinking
I'm Very Blessed That I Have A Healthy Temper. I Can Become Quite Angry And Burning In Anger, But I Have Never Been Bitter. Bitterness Is A Corrosive, Terrible Acid. It Just Eats You And Makes You Sick.
Blessed
Sick
Healthy
A Rose By Any Other Name May Smell As Sweet, But A Woman Called By A Devaluing Name Will Only Be Weakened By The Misnomer.
Sweet
Names
Smell
To Take A Few Nouns, And A Few Pronouns, And Adverbs And Adjectives, And Put Them Together, Ball Them Up, And Throw Them Against The Wall To Make Them Bounce. That's What Norman Mailer Did. That's What James Baldwin Did, And Joan Didion Did, And That's What I Do - That's What I Mean To Do.
Wall
Mean
Together
Love Liberates. Love - Not Sentimentality, Not Mush - But True Love Gives You Enough Courage That You Can Say To Somebody, "don't Do That, Baby." And The Person Will Know You're Not Preaching But Teaching.
Baby
Teaching
Giving
My Mission In Life Is Not Merely To Survive, But To Thrive
Passion
Will To Survive
Aim Of Life
There's A World Of Difference Between Truth And Facts. Facts Can Obscure The Truth.
Life
Wisdom
Peace
Some People Cannot See A Good Thing When It Is Right Here, Right Now. Others Can Sense A Good Thing Coming When It Is Days, Months, Or Miles Away.
People
Months
Good Things
No Sun Outlasts Its Sunset, But Will Rise Again And Bring The Dawn.
Inspirational
Sunset
Dawn
Christians Already? It Seems To Me That It Takes A Lifetime Of Work.
Christian
Lifetime
Seems
Don't Bring Negative To My Door.
Inspirational
Positive
Attitude
When We Decide To Be Happy We Accept The Responsibility To Bring Happiness To Someone Else.
Inspiring
Responsibility
Accepting
I Think When We Don't Know What To Do It's Wise To Do Nothing. Sit Down Quietly; Quiet Our Hearts And Minds And Breathe Deeply.
Wise
Heart
Thinking
If You Have A Song To Sing, Who Are You Not To Open Your Mouth And Sing To The World?
Song
World
Mouths
Love Builds Up The Broken Wall And Straightens The Crooked Path. Love Keeps The Stars In The Firmament And Imposes Rhythm On The Ocean Tides. Each Of Us Is Created Of It And I Suspect Each Of Us Was Created For It.
Stars
Wall
Ocean
The Intensity With Which Young People Live Demands That They "blank Out" As Often As Possible.
Life
People
Demand
I Have Need Of A Friend. There Is One And Only One Who Will Give The Air From His Failing Lungs For My Body's Mend. And That One Is My Love.
Air
Giving
Needs
Shelter Network's Programs And Services Are A Rainbow In The Clouds For Homeless Children And Adults.
Children
Clouds
Rainbow
Poetry Gave Me Back My Voice.
Voice
Life Is A Gift, And I Try To Respond With Grace And Courtesy.
Life
Grace
Trying
I've Never Had A Dislike For Men. I've Been Badly Treated By Some. But I've Been Loved Greatly By Some. I Married A Lot Of Them.
Men
Married
Treated
I Never Had That Feeling That I Had To Carry The Weight Of Somebody's Ignorance Around With Me. And That Was True For Racists Who Wanted To Use The 'n' Word When Talking About Me Or About My People, Or The Stupidity Of People Who Really Wanted To Belittle Other Folks Because They Weren't Pretty Or They Weren't Rich Or They Weren't Clever.
Clever
Ignorance
Talking
I Don't Trust Anyone Who Doesn't Laugh.
Inspirational
Laughter
Laughing
You Have To Have Courage To Love Somebody. Because You Risk Everything. Everything.
Love
Courage
Loving Someone
We May Act Sophisticated And Worldly But I Believe We Feel Safest When We Go Inside Ourselves And Find Home, A Place Where We Belong And Maybe The Only Place We Really Do.
Life
Believe
Home
Love Is A Condition So Powerful; It May Be That Which Pulls The Stars In The Firmament. It May Be That Which Pushes And Urges The Blood In The Veins. Courage: You Have To Have Courage To Love Somebody Because You Risk Everything-ever Ything.
Stars
Powerful
Love Is
I Like To Know What's Happening.
Knows
Happenings
Do Not Be Wedded Forever To Fear, Yoked Eternally To Brutishness.
Forever
Intelligence Is A Separate Gift, For The Benefit Of Students, So That They May Think Of Themselves As Intellectual And Not Very Intelligent, Or Intelligent And Not Very Intellectual. One Hopes, Of Course, That They Try To Bring The Two Virtues, The Two Elements, Into Their Lives At The Same Time.
Thinking
Intelligent
Two
Your Life Is Much More Important That You Can Imagine... It Is Your First Treasure.
Important
Treasure
Firsts
Laugh...it's The Sweetest Thing One Can Do For Oneself And One's Fellow Human Beings.
Laughing
Sweetest
Humans
It's Hard Because People Think They Have Something To Lose And The Truth Is They Have Everything To Gain In Trying To Love Somebody.
Thinking
People
Trying
When You Know You Are Of Worth, You Don't Have To Raise Your Voice, You Don't Have To Become Rude, You Don't Have To Become Vulgar; You Just Are. And You Are Like The Sky Is, As The Air Is, The Same Way Water Is Wet. It Doesn't Have To Protest.
Air
Sky
Voice
If You Are Always Trying To Be Normal You Will Never Know How Amazing You Can Be.
Inspiring
Success
Encouragement
We Delight In The Beauty Of The Butterfly, But Rarely Admit The Changes It Has Gone Through To Achieve That Beauty.
Inspirational
Change
Inspiring
You Build Your 'courage Muscle' Daily, By Being Courageous In Little Things. Just Do Right.
Littles
Courageous
Little Things
He Was A Simple Man Who Had No Inferiority Complex About His Lack Of Education, And Even More Amazing No Superiority Complex Because He Had Succeeded Despite That Lack.
Life
Simple
Men
I Wish That We Could Look Into Each Other's Faces, In Each Other's Eyes, And See Our Own Selves. I Hope That The Children Have Not Been So Scarred By Their Upbringing That They Only Think Fear When They See Someone Else Who Looks Separate From Them.
Children
Eye
Thinking
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