--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have to confront ourselves. Do we like…" description: "\"We have to confront ourselves. Do we like what we see in the mirror? And, according to our light, according to our understanding, according to our cour..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/maya-angelou-104_confront_we-have-to-confront-ourselves-do-we-like_546234.png" --- # We have to confront ourselves. Do we like what we see in… ![“We have to confront ourselves. Do we like what we see in the mirror? And, according to our light, according to our understanding, according to our courage, we will have to say yea or nay - and rise!” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/maya-angelou-104_confront_we-have-to-confront-ourselves-do-we-like_546234.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/maya-angelou-104_confront_we-have-to-confront-ourselves-do-we-like_546234.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/maya-angelou-104_confront_we-have-to-confront-ourselves-do-we-like_546234.png) > “We have to confront ourselves. Do we like what we see in the mirror? And, according to our light, according to our understanding, according to our courage, we will have to say yea or nay - and rise!” [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. Self‑examination requires honesty about our inner truth and the courage to accept or reject it. **In simple terms:** Look at yourself honestly and decide to act. Key Takeaway Face yourself, choose truth, act boldly. Themes self‑awareness courage decision growth Mood introspective determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - therapy - leadership - conflict resolution Key Concepts identity reflection integrity Questions to Reflect On - What truth about yourself have you avoided? - How can you turn self‑acceptance into action? A Different Perspective Self‑knowledge can be painful and may trigger denial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [A leader is someone who has the courage to say publicly what everybody else is whispering privately. It is not his insight that sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/a-leader-is-someone-who-has-the-courage-to-say-publicly-what/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [If a girl admits she likes you, know that it took every once of courage to say that. Idiot, don't take her for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-girl-admits-she-likes-you-know-that-it-took-every-once-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“being articulate is not a facility of language but a fidelity to vision. And so we are all articulate when finding the courage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/being-articulate-is-not-a-facility-of-language-but-a-fidelity-to/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [We need to find the courage to say no to the things and people that are not serving us if we want to rediscover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-de-angelis/we-need-to-find-the-courage-to-say-no-to-the-things-and-people-that/) [Barbara De Angelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-de-angelis/) > [Having the courage to say no when all your friends are saying yes is one of the most difficult things you'll ever have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-covey/having-the-courage-to-say-no-when-all-your-friends-are-saying-yes-is/) [Sean Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-covey/) > [The best have the courage and I say this all the time. The courage to take the ball all the time, the courage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/the-best-have-the-courage-and-i-say-this-all-the-time-the-courage-to/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [Only when you find the courage to say something to someone that might influence a change in your behavior, does that behavior change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-spencer/only-when-you-find-the-courage-to-say-something-to-someone-that-might/) [Octavia Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-spencer/) > [“It's the end of the Earth and the death of the universe that give me the insane courage to say that I am yours,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-sutherland/it-s-the-end-of-the-earth-and-the-death-of-the-universe-that-give-me/) [Krystal Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-sutherland/) > [It takes courage to say, "I need help" and to be vulnerable and accept advice from people who may be wiser than you are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie-miller/it-takes-courage-to-say-i-need-help-and-to-be-vulnerable-and-accept/) [Anne Marie Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie-miller/) > [It takes some courage to say you were wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/it-takes-some-courage-to-say-you-were-wrong/) [Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/) > [Never bury something deep, baby. Takes twice as much courage to be who you are, say what you think, feel what you feel and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/never-bury-something-deep-baby-takes-twice-as-much-courage-to-be-who/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [“Having the courage to say the truth, unabashedly, is the hardest part of writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-moncel/having-the-courage-to-say-the-truth-unabashedly-is-the-hardest-part/) Carolyn Moncel > [“There is only one thing that that it requires real courage to say, and that is a truism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-is-only-one-thing-that-that-it-requires-real-courage-to-say-and/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [It takes no courage to say or do what's popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/it-takes-no-courage-to-say-or-do-what-s-popular/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“Having the courage to say no to the little things in life will give you the power to say yes to the big things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/having-the-courage-to-say-no-to-the-little-things-in-life-will-give/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) ## 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 Confront quotes > [“But the more you confront the negativity head-on, the less it can control you. When you hear that voice inside saying you can’t do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-grover-swank/but-the-more-you-confront-the-negativity-head-on-the-less-it-can/) [Denise Grover Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-grover-swank/) > [In the past some of the most influential Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians, such as Maimonides, Aquinas and Ibn Sina, made it clear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/in-the-past-some-of-the-most-influential-jewish-christian-and-muslim/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“If a man had a nasty side to his character, she wanted to get to it immediately and confront it. She didn’t want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/if-a-man-had-a-nasty-side-to-his-character-she-wanted-to-get-to-it/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [One has to confront history honestly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-has-to-confront-history-honestly/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Once we're willing to confront our emotional suffering, we begin making choices based on attraction instead of aversion, love instead of fear. Where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/once-we-re-willing-to-confront-our-emotional-suffering-we-begin/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [If you were a warrior, you would know that the worst thing one can do is confront human beings directly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/if-you-were-a-warrior-you-would-know-that-the-worst-thing-one-can-do/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“If you’re willing to confront reality, accept the pain that comes with doing so, and follow the 5-Step Process to drive yourself toward your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/if-you-re-willing-to-confront-reality-accept-the-pain-that-comes-with/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“What makes you so dare to challenge me, kiddo? It ain't about you, Sir. I just wanna confront my fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/what-makes-you-so-dare-to-challenge-me-kiddo-it-ain-t-about-you-sir-i/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I was taught not to confront and interrupt people, but that's what I do every day on 'The View.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherri-shepherd/i-was-taught-not-to-confront-and-interrupt-people-but-that-s-what-i/) [Sherri Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherri-shepherd/) > [Those of us in the Congress must confront and overcome Republican intransigence to increasing the minimum wage, extending unemployment insurance and protecting food stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-b-rangel/those-of-us-in-the-congress-must-confront-and-overcome-republican/) [Charles B. Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-b-rangel/) > [We grow up, and we need to confront a society to be fit in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twinkle-khanna/we-grow-up-and-we-need-to-confront-a-society-to-be-fit-in/) [Twinkle Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twinkle-khanna/) > [Confrontation is not a dirty word. Sometimes it's the best kind of journalism as long you don't confront people just for the sake of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-hewitt/confrontation-is-not-a-dirty-word-sometimes-it-s-the-best-kind-of/) [Don Hewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-hewitt/) > [One of the challenges Christians confront is how the politics we helped create has made it difficult to sustain the material practices constitutive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/one-of-the-challenges-christians-confront-is-how-the-politics-we/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [Oppression is not limited to people of color, but if you feel guilty that's something you should confront.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/oppression-is-not-limited-to-people-of-color-but-if-you-feel-guilty/) [Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/) > [“Please don't confront me with my failures I have not forgotten them”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-browne/please-don-t-confront-me-with-my-failures-i-have-not-forgotten-them/) [Jackson Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-browne/) Browse all 181 Confront quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have to confront ourselves. 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