"My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return."

Humor

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Insight & Reflection

This reflection on humor by Maya Angelou resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in humor 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.

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the ShortQuote Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Maya Angelou

"While the rest of the world has been improving technology, Ghana has been improving the quality of man's humanity to man."

— Maya Angelou
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"All men are prepared to accomplish the incredible if their ideals are threatened."

— Maya Angelou
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"Fear will knock at every door; only those with resolved hearts refuse to let it enter. This remains the cornerstone of personal mastery — an essential principle for the reflective life."

— Maya Angelou
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"Wisdom principle 99 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 81."

— Maya Angelou
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More about Humor

"As a writer, or as a filmmaker, you have to present yourself, and part of what yourself is is what you're interested in, or what you think is funny, or what you think is sad, or what you think is horrible."

— Charlie Kaufman
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"I think ultimately I make people happy: Whether I'm doing the stage show, giving somebody a makeover, or designing clothing, the end goal is to make people smile."

— Carson Kressley
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"Those who knew Lincoln described him as an extraordinarily funny man. Humor was an essential aspect of his temperament. He laughed, he explained, so he did not weep."

— Doris Kearns Goodwin
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"You can go to a play that is enjoyable because it's funny, and then on the next night you can go to a play that's enjoyable because it's 'disturbing.'"

— Wallace Shawn
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