--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know, that since life is our most…" description: "\"I know, that since life is our most precious gift, and as far as we can be absolutely certain, it's given to us to live but once, let us so live we wil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/maya-angelou-104_causes_i-know-that-since-life-is-our-most-preci_123681.png" --- # I know, that since life is our most precious gift, and as… ![“I know, that since life is our most precious gift, and as far as we can be absolutely certain, it's given to us to live but once, let us so live we will not regret years of useless virtue, and inertia, and timidity, and ignorance, and in our last moments we can say: 'All my life, all my conscious…” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/maya-angelou-104_causes_i-know-that-since-life-is-our-most-preci_123681.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/maya-angelou-104_causes_i-know-that-since-life-is-our-most-preci_123681.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/maya-angelou-104_causes_i-know-that-since-life-is-our-most-preci_123681.png) > “I know, that since life is our most precious gift, and as far as we can be absolutely certain, it's given to us to live but once, let us so live we will not regret years of useless virtue, and inertia, and timidity, and ignorance, and in our last moments we can say: 'All my life, all my conscious energies, have been dedicated to the most noble cause in the world, the liberation of the human mind and spirit - beginning with my own'.” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker urges living fully and purposefully, dedicating one's life to liberating the mind and spirit, starting with self‑liberation, to avoid regret at life's end. **In simple terms:** Live purposefully to free mind and spirit. Key Takeaway Self‑liberation is the foundation for broader human freedom. Themes philosophy purpose freedom self‑growth ethics Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - personal development retreats - mindfulness programs - ethical leadership training Key Concepts existentialism humanism Practical Applications - Reflect on personal values daily - Engage in actions that expand mental freedom Questions to Reflect On - What does freeing the mind look like in daily life? - How can one balance personal liberation with communal responsibilities? A Different Perspective The ideal of single‑minded dedication may overlook the value of balanced, relational living. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dedicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dedicated/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Inertia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inertia/) [Liberation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberation/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Noble Cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble-cause/) [Noble causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble-causes/) [Precious gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precious-gift/) [Precious gifts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precious-gifts/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Timidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timidity/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The most noble cause known to man is the liberation of the human mind and spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-most-noble-cause-known-to-man-is-the-liberation-of-the-human-mind/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [For all the civilians saved thanks to the presence of peacekeepers, there have been those who were lost - the United Nations personnel who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-eliasson/for-all-the-civilians-saved-thanks-to-the-presence-of-peacekeepers/) [Jan Eliasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-eliasson/) > [While we honour religion and believe it to be a powerful factor in elevating our race, we discriminate, as we hope our readers will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-celeste-claflin/while-we-honour-religion-and-believe-it-to-be-a-powerful-factor-in/) [Tennessee Celeste Claflin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-celeste-claflin/) > [We remember those who were called upon to give all a person can give, and we remember those who were prepared to make that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-remember-those-who-were-called-upon-to-give-all-a-person-can-give/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Companies must have a noble cause, and it's the leaders job to transform that noble cause into such an inspiring vision, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/companies-must-have-a-noble-cause-and-it-s-the-leaders-job-to/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [The courageous struggle for a noble cause should be considered success itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/the-courageous-struggle-for-a-noble-cause-should-be-considered/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [If you would find happiness and joy, lose your life in some noble cause. A worthy purpose must be at the center of every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-h-goaslind/if-you-would-find-happiness-and-joy-lose-your-life-in-some-noble/) Jack H. Goaslind > [The inspiration of a noble cause involving human interests wide and far, enables men to do things they did not dream themselves capable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-chamberlain/the-inspiration-of-a-noble-cause-involving-human-interests-wide-and/) [Joshua Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-chamberlain/) > [A noble cause doth ease much a grievous case.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/a-noble-cause-doth-ease-much-a-grievous-case/) [Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/) > [The inspiration of a noble cause enables men to do things they did not dream themselves capable of before](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-chamberlain/the-inspiration-of-a-noble-cause-enables-men-to-do-things-they-did/) [Joshua Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-chamberlain/) > [When an individual from underprivileged background gets higher education, he/she uplifts the entire family. 90% of students at Namal college are from underprivileged backgrounds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-khan/when-an-individual-from-underprivileged-background-gets-higher/) [Imran Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-khan/) > [The sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church is the result of what police call "noble cause corruption," the belief that because you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/the-sex-abuse-crisis-in-the-catholic-church-is-the-result-of-what/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) > [The American people have on many occasions been willing to shed their own blood for a noble cause, like when hundreds of thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/the-american-people-have-on-many-occasions-been-willing-to-shed-their/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) > [You've just got to do what you think is right, and just make the decisions based upon noble causes. And a noble cause is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-ve-just-got-to-do-what-you-think-is-right-and-just-make-the/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [It's time that we recognized that ours was in truth a noble cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/it-s-time-that-we-recognized-that-ours-was-in-truth-a-noble-cause/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. 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Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More Causes quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. 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Well, roll my breakfast cause I'm a hungry man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-joe-turner/get-out-from-that-kitchen-and-rattle-those-pots-and-pans-well-roll-my/) [Big Joe Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-joe-turner/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/) [Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [I don't wear rubbers cause you can't catch it twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-norton/i-don-t-wear-rubbers-cause-you-can-t-catch-it-twice/) [Jim Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-norton/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Well the first time I performed, my mom was like how she is now when sees me on stage – all red, smiling from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/well-the-first-time-i-performed-my-mom-was-like-how-she-is-now-when/) [Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/) > [I love a lot of things, a whole lot of things / Like / My cousin comes to visit and you know he's from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloise-greenfield/i-love-a-lot-of-things-a-whole-lot-of-things-like-my-cousin-comes-to/) Eloise Greenfield > [Many companies have long contended that stress in the home causes productivity loss in the market place.. and it does. 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