"I’ve always had the feeling that life loves the liver of it. You must live and life will be good to you, give you experiences. They may not all be that pleasant, but nobody promised you a rose garden. But more than likely if you do dare, what you get are the marvelous returns. Courage is probably the most important of the virtues, because without courage you cannot practice any of the other virtues, you can’t say against a murderous society, I oppose your murdering. You got to have courage to do so. I seem to have known that a long time and found great joy in it."
I can't read any of her words without hearing her iconic voice in my head. That husky, deep throttle with just the tang of a southern accent. The subject of this quote is classic, maybe even a little cliche, but when she spoke, even the tired worn out cliches breathed with new life.
I have had her children's book, Life Doesn't Frighten Me, on my Amazon wish list for a while now and was drawn to it originally, not just because Angelou wrote it, but because of the title. I see it as a mantra, something to be said during the dark times and repeated in order to remind the speaker of its truth: Life doesn't frighten me.
RIP Maya Angelou
