"All philosophical inquiry begins with the humility to admit the limits of knowing."

Experience

Create & Download Quote Image

Select Template

Optimized for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Insight & Reflection

This reflection on experience by Maya Angelou resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in experience is what ultimately defines our character and our path forward.

About Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was an American memoirist, essayist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.

More quotes by Maya Angelou →
Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Maya Angelou

"It is a steadfast truth that courage is not the absence of trembling, but the decision to step forward regardless — an essential principle for the reflective life."

Read more →

"You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive."

Read more →

More about Experience

"Selfish persons are incapable of loving others, but they are not capable of loving themselves either."

Read more →

"One of the greatest moments in anybody's developing experience is when he no longer tries to hide from himself but determines to get acquainted with himself as he really is."

Read more →
View all Experience quotes →