--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You may be pretty or plain, heavy or…" description: "\"You may be pretty or plain, heavy or thin, gay or straight, poor or rich. But remember this: In an election, every voice is equally powerful -- don't u..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/maya-angelou-104_democracy_you-may-be-pretty-or-plain-heavy-or-thin_1595879.jpg" --- # You may be pretty or plain, heavy or thin, gay or… ![“You may be pretty or plain, heavy or thin, gay or straight, poor or rich. But remember this: In an election, every voice is equally powerful -- don't underestimate your vote. Voting is the great equalizer.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/maya-angelou-104_democracy_you-may-be-pretty-or-plain-heavy-or-thin_1595879.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/maya-angelou-104_democracy_you-may-be-pretty-or-plain-heavy-or-thin_1595879.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/maya-angelou-104_democracy_you-may-be-pretty-or-plain-heavy-or-thin_1595879.jpg) > “You may be pretty or plain, heavy or thin, gay or straight, poor or rich. But remember this: In an election, every voice is equally powerful -- don't underestimate your vote. Voting is the great equalizer.” [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. Every vote holds equal power; voting levels societal disparities. **In simple terms:** Your vote matters equally. Key Takeaway Exercise your right to vote consistently. Themes civic duty equality empowerment Mood motivational empowering Type political inspirational When to use this quote - elections - community meetings - activism Key Concepts democracy social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can you amplify your voice beyond voting? - What actions complement voting for change? A Different Perspective V may feel powerless despite voting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) [Voting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voting/) ## Related quotes > [Voting is great, but it's not an accomplishment. It's a responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-schlossberg/voting-is-great-but-it-s-not-an-accomplishment-it-s-a-responsibility/) [Jack Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-schlossberg/) > [That more women are getting involved in politics - either by running for office, managing campaigns or voting - is a great thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-cupp/that-more-women-are-getting-involved-in-politics-either-by-running/) [S.E. Cupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-cupp/) > [I remember election night 2019, when Boris led us to victory, and brought an end to the chaos of the post-Brexit parliament. He held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suella-braverman/i-remember-election-night-2019-when-boris-led-us-to-victory-and/) [Suella Braverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suella-braverman/) > [Barack Obama said yesterday that the economy was 'going to get worse before it gets better.' See, that's when you know the campaign is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/barack-obama-said-yesterday-that-the-economy-was-going-to-get-worse/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I remember a case where I was associate attorney general where 720 dead people voted in Chicago in the 1982 election. I remember in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-remember-a-case-where-i-was-associate-attorney-general-where-720/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [I think the voters believe that when you become president of the United States, you have a higher obligation and a higher standard than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dole/i-think-the-voters-believe-that-when-you-become-president-of-the/) [Bob Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dole/) > [Cancer is the great equalizer. Everyone is affected by it either themselves or through loved ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lo/cancer-is-the-great-equalizer-everyone-is-affected-by-it-either/) [Andrew Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lo/) > [Education is the great equalizer of our time. It gives hope to the hopeless and creates chances for those without...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/education-is-the-great-equalizer-of-our-time-it-gives-hope-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Reading is the basic springboard for learning. And books provide the liftoff. They are the great equalizer, opening up new worlds to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pope-osborne/reading-is-the-basic-springboard-for-learning-and-books-provide-the/) [Mary Pope Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pope-osborne/) > [I believe that education is the greatest equalizer; thus, I will continue to fight to equalize the playing field in an educational atmosphere that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-gruwell/i-believe-that-education-is-the-greatest-equalizer-thus-i-will/) [Erin Gruwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-gruwell/) > [Sports was a great equalizer. It didn't have color. It didn't matter whether you were rich or poor, black or white. It really shaped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/sports-was-a-great-equalizer-it-didn-t-have-color-it-didn-t-matter/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [I believe education is the great equalizer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-heineman/i-believe-education-is-the-great-equalizer/) [Dave Heineman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-heineman/) > [ I would be lying to you if I said I wouldn't love for it \[Equalizer\] to become a franchise, I would love for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-fuqua/i-would-be-lying-to-you-if-i-said-i-wouldn-t-love-for-it-equalizer-to/) [Antoine Fuqua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-fuqua/) > [“It all came down to money - the great equalizer and common denominator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/it-all-came-down-to-money-the-great-equalizer-and-common-denominator/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [ I mean, we should only be talking about the merits of film \["Moonlight"\] because one of the great things about the visual language is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheo-hodari-coker/i-mean-we-should-only-be-talking-about-the-merits-of-film-moonlight/) [Cheo Hodari Coker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheo-hodari-coker/) ## 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 Democracy quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/) [Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/) [Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/) > [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 11,220 Democracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You may be pretty or plain, heavy or thin, gay or straight, poor or rich. 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