--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I'm here, I'll be trying to be a…" description: "\"If I'm here, I'll be trying to be a better human being, a better writer, a better friend and a better beloved.\" — Maya Angelou" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/maya-angelou-104_beloved_if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-bette_2119187.png" --- # If I'm here, I'll be trying to be a better human being, a… ![“If I'm here, I'll be trying to be a better human being, a better writer, a better friend and a better beloved.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/maya-angelou-104_beloved_if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-bette_2119187.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/maya-angelou-104_beloved_if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-bette_2119187.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/maya-angelou-104_beloved_if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-bette_2119187.png) > “If I'm here, I'll be trying to be a better human being, a better writer, a better friend and a better beloved.” [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. Commitment to self-improvement across multiple personal roles. **In simple terms:** Striving to be better in many aspects of life. Key Takeaway Pursue continuous growth. Themes self-improvement writing relationships friendship Mood motivational hopeful Type inspirational self-help When to use this quote - career - personal life - social circles Key Concepts personal development creative practice Questions to Reflect On - Which role needs your most attention now? - How do you measure progress? A Different Perspective Balancing many improvement goals can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beloved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) [Better Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-friend/) [Better Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-human/) [Better Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-writer/) [Friend Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend-better-334651/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Writer Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-better-606105/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [the only way to become a better writer is to become a better person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/the-only-way-to-become-a-better-writer-is-to-become-a-better-person/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [If I have any regrets, I could say that I'm sorry I wasn't a better writer or a better singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-i-have-any-regrets-i-could-say-that-i-m-sorry-i-wasn-t-a-better-2/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“The better a writer, the better he erases his footprints- yet the better the writer, the more he wants us to intuit and put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/the-better-a-writer-the-better-he-erases-his-footprints-yet-the/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [It's not so much that the old friend is a better friend. It's just that you know the person better, and you know they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/it-s-not-so-much-that-the-old-friend-is-a-better-friend-it-s-just/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“We’ll go to Napa. I’ll be a better friend. A better man. Just don’t die on me. Maddox’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabeth-albert/we-ll-go-to-napa-i-ll-be-a-better-friend-a-better-man-just-don-t-die/) [Annabeth Albert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabeth-albert/) > [“The things that I love about you aren't going to go away when you go on your book tour, and they're not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-lauren/the-things-that-i-love-about-you-aren-t-going-to-go-away-when-you-go/) [Christina Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-lauren/) > [When asked how she knows when her writing is where she wants it to be: "I know when it's the best I can do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/when-asked-how-she-knows-when-her-writing-is-where-she-wants-it-to-be/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [And I find - I'm 63, and my capacity to be by myself and just spend time by myself hasn't diminished any. That's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-i-find-i-m-63-and-my-capacity-to-be-by-myself-and-just-spend-time/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I've had a few jobs, but if you want to be a writer, you're better off getting a job that doesn't require that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/i-ve-had-a-few-jobs-but-if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-you-re-better-off/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [But I work harder now because I have so much more exposure. And actually the harder you work as a writer, the better you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/but-i-work-harder-now-because-i-have-so-much-more-exposure-and/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [Detroit, my 'great' subject, made me the person I am, consequently the writer I am - for better or worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/detroit-my-great-subject-made-me-the-person-i-am-consequently-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Better that the book should be not quite so good, and the writer better, and not himself a ridiculous contrast to all he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/better-that-the-book-should-be-not-quite-so-good-and-the-writer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The less conscious one is of being a writer, the better the writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-less-conscious-one-is-of-being-a-writer-the-better-the-writing/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [The reader knows the writer better than he knows himself; but the writer's physical presence is light from a star that has moved on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-reader-knows-the-writer-better-than-he-knows-himself-but-the/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“It’s the natural trajectory of a writing career that a writer becomes better at being herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/it-s-the-natural-trajectory-of-a-writing-career-that-a-writer-becomes/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) ## 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. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. 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 Beloved quotes > [My Chosen Daughter, No one can define you without your permission. I want you to be so secure in who you are in Me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/god/my-chosen-daughter-no-one-can-define-you-without-your-permission-i/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/god/) > [Why should the Marquis de Cussy wage war on soup? I cannot understand a dinner without it. I hold soup to be the well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-antoine-careme/why-should-the-marquis-de-cussy-wage-war-on-soup-i-cannot-understand/) [Marie-Antoine Careme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-antoine-careme/) > [Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your heart beat Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast, Drowning love's lonely hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/beloved-let-your-eyes-half-close-and-your-heart-beat-over-my-heart/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I made you, dear, and all I make is perfect. Please come close, for I desire you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/i-made-you-dear-and-all-i-make-is-perfect-please-come-close-for-i/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [A lover asked his beloved, Do you love yourself more than you love me? Beloved replied, I have died to myself and I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-lover-asked-his-beloved-do-you-love-yourself-more-than-you-love-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/he-who-believes-in-god-is-not-careful-for-the-morrow-but-labors/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My beloved like a jewel on my crown, In my vast and blue sky you are like a full-moon. I wish to stay entrapped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranjan-dey/my-beloved-like-a-jewel-on-my-crown-in-my-vast-and-blue-sky-you-are/) [Ranjan Dey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranjan-dey/) > [Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/love-is-doing-what-will-enthrall-the-beloved-with-the-greatest-and/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Rest you well, beloved Jesus, Caesar’s Lord and Israel’s King, In the brooding of the Spirit, in the darkness of the spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/rest-you-well-beloved-jesus-caesar-s-lord-and-israel-s-king-in-the/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [My beloved friend - one of the most unique and charming personalities of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/my-beloved-friend-one-of-the-most-unique-and-charming-personalities/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [A lover goes toward his beloved as enthusiastically as a schoolboy leaving his books, but when he leaves his girlfriend, he feels as miserable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-lover-goes-toward-his-beloved-as-enthusiastically-as-a-schoolboy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I lost my dad when I was younger, and I know what its like to lose a beloved parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/i-lost-my-dad-when-i-was-younger-and-i-know-what-its-like-to-lose-a/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [My beloved dog defied treatment from the best and most expensive veterinarians, holistic practitioners, trainers, and animal communicators. He was simply beyond my ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-katz/my-beloved-dog-defied-treatment-from-the-best-and-most-expensive/) [Jon Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-katz/) > [Perhaps if only once you did enjoy The thousandth part of all the happiness A heart beloved enjoys, returning love, Repentant, you would surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torquato-tasso/perhaps-if-only-once-you-did-enjoy-the-thousandth-part-of-all-the/) [Torquato Tasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torquato-tasso/) > [Wicked sons do not have the Holy Ghost in the same way as do beloved sons, and yet they do have Baptism. So, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/wicked-sons-do-not-have-the-holy-ghost-in-the-same-way-as-do-beloved/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) [Browse all 1,440 Beloved quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beloved/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I'm here, I'll be trying to be a better human being, a better writer, a better friend and a better beloved.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maya Angelou" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-better-human-being-a-better-writer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beloved" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-better-human-being-a-better-writer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/maya-angelou-104_beloved_if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-bette_2119187.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/maya-angelou-104_beloved_if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-bette_2119187.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/maya-angelou-104_beloved_if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-bette_2119187.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I'm here, I'll be trying to be a better human being, a better writer, a better friend and a better beloved.” — Maya Angelou", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Maya Angelou", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I'm here, I'll be trying...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-better-human-being-a-better-writer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-i-m-here-i-ll-be-trying-to-be-a-better-human-being-a-better-writer/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```