What is a fear of living? It's being preeminently afraid of dying. It is not doing what you came here to do, out of timidity and spinelessness. The antidote is to take full responsibility for yourself - for the time you take up and the space you occupy. If you don't know what you're here to do, then just do some good.

More quotes by Maya Angelou

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"To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power."

- Maya Angelou

Love

"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."

- Maya Angelou

Courage

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage."

- Maya Angelou

Courage

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

- Maya Angelou

Compassion

"The best part of life is not just surviving, but thriving with passion and compassion and humor and style and generosity and kindness."

- Maya Angelou

Compassion

More Responsibility Quotes

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"We have raised the bar. … But that doesn’t raise it just for the youth. That raises it for the parents, who have the primary responsibility for teaching their children principles. That raises it for the leaders. That raises it for the teachers. We’ve all got to take a step up in a world that is unraveling as fast as this one is."

- President M. Russell Ballard

Responsibility

"Obstacles can’t stop you. Problems can’t stop you. People can’t stop you. Only you can stop you."

- Unknown

Responsibility

"Life comes at a cost. Wouldn’t it be arrogant to die before you’ve repaid that debt?"

- Yuuji Kazami

Responsibility

"You can’t win a game by doing nothing. And if someone else wins it for you then you haven’t accomplished anything. Life is the same way."

- Junichirou Kagami

Responsibility

"Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country."

- John F. Kennedy

Responsibility