06/03/2020
Truthfull words spoken
"I would encourage us to try our best to develop courage. It's the most important of all the virtues, because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can be anything erratically -- kind, fair, true, generous, all that. But to be that thing time after time, you need courage. We need to develop courage, and we need to develop it in small ways first. Because we wouldn't go and say, 'I'll pick up this 100-pound weight' without knowing our capacity. So we need to say, 'Oh, I'll start by picking up a five-pound weight, then a 10-pound weight, then a 25-pound, and sooner or later I'll be able to pick up a 100-pound weight.' And I think that's true with courage.
You develop a little courage, so that if you decide, 'I will not stay in rooms where women are belittled; I will not stay in company where races, no matter who they are, are belittled; I will not take it; I will not sit around and accept dehumanizing other human beings' -- if you decide to do that in small ways, and you continue to do it -- finally you realize you've got so much courage. Imagine it -- you've got so much courage that people want to be around you. They get a feeling that they will be protected in your company." -- Maya Angelou
For books for children and teens about the importance of standing up for others, regardless of the differences between them, visit our blog post "60 Mighty Girl Books About Standing Up for Others” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13481
For hundreds of children's books that explore racism and prejudice in both modern and historical contexts, visit our "Racial & Ethnic Discrimination" book section at http://amgrl.co/2wE6Jbl
For an excellent book to help kids learn how to stand up for themselves and others in a positive, productive manner, we recommend "Stand Up for Yourself and Your Friends" for ages 7 to 12 at https://www.amightygirl.com/stand-up-for-yourself-and-your-friends
And, for a youth-friendly introduction to Maya Angelou's extraordinary work, we highly recommend “Poetry for Young People: Maya Angelou” for readers 8 to 15 at https://www.amightygirl.com/poetry-maya-angelou -- or you can introduce young people to this masterful poet and author with the stunning new book "Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People" for ages 9 to 12 at https://www.amightygirl.com/rise-poet-of-the-people