---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prejudice is a burden that confuses the…"
description: "\"“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible…We may encounter many defeats but we must not ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/maya-angelou-104_failure_prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the_2224254.jpg"
---

#  Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens…

![“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible…We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/maya-angelou-104_failure_prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the_2224254.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/maya-angelou-104_failure_prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the_2224254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/maya-angelou-104_failure_prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the_2224254.jpg)

> ““Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible…We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.””

[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.

She describes prejudice as a heavy burden that distorts history and limits future possibilities, urging perseverance despite setbacks.

**In simple terms:** Prejudice blocks past, present, and future; keep fighting.

Key Takeaway

Resist prejudice and stay resilient.

Themes

social justice perseverance history future

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- activism
- education reform
- personal growth

Key Concepts

Systemic bias psychological impact resilience training

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal biases do you need to confront?
- How can you turn defeats into motivation?

A Different Perspective

Prejudice can be deeply entrenched, making change slow.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Burden Confuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden-confuses-4977754/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Past Threatens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-threatens-4977753/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Prejudice Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice-burden-4977752/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Threatens Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatens-future-4686721/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the-past-threatens-the-future-and/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I think it's my responsibility, to speak up when something threatens our very future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/i-think-it-s-my-responsibility-to-speak-up-when-something-threatens/)

[Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/)

> [You don't like dealing with somebody who denies horrible things happening to your people or threatens future horrible things to your people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-don-t-like-dealing-with-somebody-who-denies-horrible-things/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Climate change threatens the future of life on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/climate-change-threatens-the-future-of-life-on-this-planet/)

[Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/)

> [It's good to remember that in crises, natural crises, human beings forget for awhile their ignorances, their biases, their prejudices. For a little while,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/it-s-good-to-remember-that-in-crises-natural-crises-human-beings/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [It is impossible to struggle for civil rights, equal rights for blacks, without including whites. Because equal rights, fair play, justice, are all like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/it-is-impossible-to-struggle-for-civil-rights-equal-rights-for-blacks/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [All of my history as an African-American woman, as a Jewish woman, as a Muslim woman. I'm bringing everything I ever knew, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/all-of-my-history-as-an-african-american-woman-as-a-jewish-woman-as-a/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Show me a person without prejudice of any kind on any subject and I'll show you someone who may be admirably virtuous but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/show-me-a-person-without-prejudice-of-any-kind-on-any-subject-and-i/)

[Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/)

> [An opinion may be controverted; a prejudice, never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/an-opinion-may-be-controverted-a-prejudice-never/)

[Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-von-ebner-eschenbach/)

> [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [“Those who embrace prejudice doom themselves to live in ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-lintz-sr/those-who-embrace-prejudice-doom-themselves-to-live-in-ignorance/)

[John P Lintz Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-p-lintz-sr/)

> [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/)

[David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/)

> [I hate prejudice on any level. I don't care if it's somebody being discriminated against because of the color of their skin or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/i-hate-prejudice-on-any-level-i-don-t-care-if-it-s-somebody-being/)

[Charlamagne tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/)

> [“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/when-dealing-with-people-remember-you-are-not-dealing-with-creatures/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

## 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 Failure quotes

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/)

[Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/)

> [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

> [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/)

[Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/)

[Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/)

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/)

[Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/)

> [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible…We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Maya Angelou"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the-past-threatens-the-future-and-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Failure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the-past-threatens-the-future-and-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/maya-angelou-104_failure_prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the_2224254.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/maya-angelou-104_failure_prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the_2224254.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/maya-angelou-104_failure_prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the_2224254.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible…We…” — 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": "“Prejudice is a burden that confuses...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the-past-threatens-the-future-and-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/prejudice-is-a-burden-that-confuses-the-past-threatens-the-future-and-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
