Carolina QuotesWhen people show you who they are, believe them, the first time. Not the 29th time!
Maya Angelou Connected to the Carolinas
Source
Described by Oprah Winfrey as "[o]ne of the other great lessons I learned taught to me by my friend and mentor, Maya Angelou" during her commencement address delivered to Wellesley College on May 30, 1997. — When people show you who they are, believe them — As quoted by Oprah Winfrey during a June 1997 interview with Angelou on her show. — When someone shows you who they are the first time, believe them — As attributed to Angelou in a 1999 collection. — My dear, when people show you who they are, why don't you believe them? Why must you be shown 29 times before you can see who they really are? Why can't you get it the first time? — As quoted by Oprah Winfrey in 2011.
- form
- speech
- year
- 1997
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“When people show you who they are, believe them, the first t…” Maya Angelou. Carolina Quotes, record CQ-D2EDD741B7. https://carolinaquotes.com/quote/d2edd741b7
More from Maya Angelou
I went to sleep last night And I arose with the dawn, I know that there are others Who're still sleeping on, They've gone away, You've let me stay, I want to thank You.
Many people wonder where my secret lies, I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model size. When I try to show them they think I'm telling lies. I say, it's in the reach of my arms, the span of my hips, the stride of my step, the curl of my lips I'm Woman, Phenominally . I walk in a room just as cool as you please, And to a man the fellows stand, or fall down on their knees. And then they swarm around me; a hive of honey bees. I say, oh it's the fire in my eyes, the flash of my teeth, the swing in my waist, the joy in my feet. Men themselves have wondered what they see in me. They try so much but they can't touch my inner mystery. When I try to show them they say they still can't see. I say oh, it's in the arch of my back. And now you understand just why my head's not bowed. I don't shout or jump about, or have to talk too loud. When you see me walking out it ought to make you proud. I say it's in the click of my heels. The bend of my hair. The palm of my hands. The need for my care, because I'm a woman. Phenomenally. Phenomenal Woman. That's my mother, and all your mothers. And then my grandmothers. And all your grandmothers. And my great grandmothers, And all your great grandmothers. And my great great great, And all your great great... And all you women here, And me.
There is nothing so pitiful as a young cynic because he has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing.