"The needs of a society determine its ethics, and in the Black American ghettos the hero is that man who is offered only the crumbs from his country's table but by ingenuity and courage is able to take for himself a Lucullan feast. Hence the janitor who lives in one room but sports a robin's-egg-blue Cadillac is not laughed at but admired, and the domestic who buys forty-dollar shoes is not criticized but is appreciated. We know that they have put to use their full mental and physical powers. Each single gain feeds into the gains of the body collective."

15 likes

Source: Maya Angelou (2009). “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, p.220, Random House

About the author

Maya Angelou

Poet, Memoirist

Maya Angelou was an influential American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist known for her powerful works like 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.'

All quotes by Maya Angelou →

Same author

More quotes by Maya Angelou

See all →
Maya Angelou Poet, Memoirist

"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. People know themselves much better than you do. That's why it's important to stop expecting them to be something other than who they are"

Read quote
Maya Angelou Poet, Memoirist

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. Please remember that your difficulties do not define you. They simply strengthen your ability to overcome."

Read quote