Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist, most popularly known for her deeply human poems and speeches on courage, identity, and resilience. Her words often help us relate personal pain and experiences to universal hope, calling us to see our own dignity and potential in the stories of others.Even though our lives are largely surrounded by the noise of social media and the expectation of perfection in everything, she asks us to pause and look at a painting, a song, or a poem we love and remember: this was made by a person with doubts, failures, and ordinary days, just like us.
Quote of the day
Find a beautiful piece of art. If you fall in love with Van Gogh or Matisse or John Oliver Killens, or if you fall in love with the music of Coltrane, the music of Aretha Franklin, or the music of Chopin, find some beautiful art and admire it, and realise that it was created by human beings just like you, no more human, no less
Maya Angelou
What does the quote mean?
Maya Angelou tells us to find a piece of art that has a lasting impact on us, and then consciously remember that it was made by a human being “no more human, no less” than ourselves. On the surface, it sounds obvious.Of course Van Gogh, Matisse, Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, and Chopin were human. But emotionally, we often treat their work as if it came from another world, something that is untouchable, perfect, and far beyond our reach. Angelou then gently corrects this illusion. She asks us to admire great art without shrinking ourselves in the process.When we think that a masterpiece was created by someone who also felt fear, doubt, rejection, and boredom, it changes our relationship with that work; it helps us to realise that being imperfect is just fairly human.It stops being a distant monument and becomes just like a conversation across time, where one human is speaking to another through colour, sound, or words.
The idea is relevant in our present-day lives
Today, many people feel intimidated by art, music, or poetry because they compare their behind-the-scenes with someone else’s highlight reel. Social media shows only finished works that are intentionally perfected to be put out on feeds, viral moments, and polished performances, hiding the years of practice, failed drafts, and quiet persistence behind them. Angelou’s words remind us that every great artist started exactly where many of us are now: uncertain, learning, and trying again.Maya Angelou’s words nurture empathy. If the people who made the art we love are fundamentally like us, then so are the people we meet every day. Recognising the shared humanity in artists can help us recognise it in everyone and realise that we are all capable of creating something beautiful, worthy of being seen as fully human.
