Esteemed author and poet Dr. Maya Angelou died May 28. As we remember her remarkable legacy, here are ten quotes that show her personal insight on life.

1.Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.

2.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.

3.Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.

4.I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for  myself and others like me.

5.Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.

6.The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread, and fried chicken.

7.One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.

8.I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.

9.You can’t forgive without loving. And I don’t mean sentimentality. I don’t mean mush. I mean having enough courage to stand up and say, “I forgive. I’m finished with it.”

10.I’m convinced of this: Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.