To commemorate the passing of Maya Angelou, who left us May 28th, 2014, at the age of 86, we thought we’d share some of her sage words, particularly her thoughts about words, writing, creativity and the wisdom that comes from each…

Ms. Angelou was proof positive that words can indeed drive passions and make a difference… RIP to a great lady and a great writer… Do you have a favorite quote about writing? Share it with us, too!

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
―  From I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

“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.”

The last point of any abstract is the list of references. It is necessary to specify all books, magazines, newspapers or electronic publications, which were used to write the work. It is necessary to specify the author of each source, title, year of publication, number of pages. For electronic publications provide a link to the Internet page. The main rule of such lists of references – the arrangement of sources in alphabetical order. The first in the list is the author of the book with the surname beginning with the letter A. Reference to literature is a citation from a book in the text of the essay, which was used in writing the work. Requirements for the design of references to literature in the text can be different. It all depends on the teacher. Most often, to highlight a piece of text in the citation, use quotation marks. Then put round or square brackets. The parentheses indicate the serial number of the book in the list of references and the number of the page on which the quoted piece of text is located 250 500 word essay. For example, (2, p. 45), where 2 is the number of the book in the list of references, and p. 45 is the page number on which the citation is located. Since the essay independent, theoretical work, references to the used literature in the text are desirable, but it all depends on the requirements of the teacher. The citation in the essay serves as a support for the conclusions drawn.

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

“I don’t know about lying for novelists. I look at some of the great novelists, and I think the reason they are great is that they’re telling the truth. The fact is they’re using made-up names, made-up people, made-up places, and made-up times, but they’re telling the truth about the human being—what we are capable of, what makes us lose, laugh, weep, fall down, and gnash our teeth and wring our hands and kill each other and love each other.”

“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.”

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”
― From I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

“When you learn, teach, when you get, give.”

“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.”

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

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

“Words are things… Some day we’ll be able to measure the power of words. I think they are things. They get on the walls. They get in your wallpaper. They get in your rugs, in your upholstery, and your clothes, and finally in to you.”

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

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

“Poetry puts starch in your backbone so you can stand, so you can compose your life.”

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

“When I am writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we’re capable of, how we feel, how we lose and stand up, and go on from darkness into darkness. I’m trying for that. But I’m also trying for the language. I’m trying to see how it can really sound. I really love language. I love it for wate it does for us, how it allows us to explain the pain and the glory, the nuances and delicacies of our existence. And then it allows us to laugh, allows us to show wit. Real wit is shown in language. We need language.”

“Life is pure adventure, and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we will be able to treat life as art.”

— Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014)