It's so tedious writing cookbooks or writing the recipes because I've never been much of a measurer. But to write a book, you have to measure everything.

The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.

You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.

I don't know how much longer I'll be around. I'll probably be writing when the Lord says, 'Maya, Maya Angelou, it's time.'

When I write, I tend to twist my hair. Something for my small mind to do, I guess.

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.