--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've learned to rely on the strength I…" description: "\"I've learned to rely on the strength I inherited from all those who came before me-the grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and brothers who were tested with ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/oprah-winfrey-186_angelou_i-ve-learned-to-rely-on-the-strength-i-i_1872390.png" --- # I've learned to rely on the strength I inherited from all… ![“I've learned to rely on the strength I inherited from all those who came before me-the grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and brothers who were tested with unimaginable hardships and still survived. 'I go forth alone, and stand as ten thousand,' Maya Angelou proclaimed in her poem 'Our Grandmothers.'…” quote by Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/oprah-winfrey-186_angelou_i-ve-learned-to-rely-on-the-strength-i-i_1872390.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/oprah-winfrey-186_angelou_i-ve-learned-to-rely-on-the-strength-i-i_1872390.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a43/oprah-winfrey-186_angelou_i-ve-learned-to-rely-on-the-strength-i-i_1872390.png) > “I've learned to rely on the strength I inherited from all those who came before me-the grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and brothers who were tested with unimaginable hardships and still survived. 'I go forth alone, and stand as ten thousand,' Maya Angelou proclaimed in her poem 'Our Grandmothers.' When I move through the world, I bring all my history with me-all the people who paved the way for me are part of who I am.” [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recognizing that personal strength is inherited from ancestors who endured hardship, and that their legacy empowers us today. **In simple terms:** Our ancestors' strength lives in us. Key Takeaway Honor past struggles by acting with courage. Themes heritage resilience identity empowerment Mood proud reflective Type inspirational historical When to use this quote - public speaking - leadership - community activism - personal decision Key Concepts intergenerational trauma collective memory psychological inheritance Questions to Reflect On - How do you embody your ancestors' lessons? - What responsibilities arise from this legacy? A Different Perspective Strength may be idealized; individual agency still matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angelou/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Grandmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother/) [Grandmothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmothers/) [Hardship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardship/) [Inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Who i am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who-i-am/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [What stands out to me most about Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken; it's how she lived her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/what-stands-out-to-me-most-about-maya-angelou-is-not-what-she-has/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [You did the best you could, the best you knew how at the time." It was something like that. From Oprah on an Oprah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/you-did-the-best-you-could-the-best-you-knew-how-at-the-time-it-was/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [When you learn, teach. When you get, give. Maya Angelou taught me that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/when-you-learn-teach-when-you-get-give-maya-angelou-taught-me-that/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Maya Angelou observed you cant use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. Sadly,too often creativity is smothered rather than nurtured.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/maya-angelou-observed-you-cant-use-up-creativity-the-more-you-use-the/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Of course, there are those critics - New York critics as a rule - who say, 'Well, Maya Angelou has a new book out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/of-course-there-are-those-critics-new-york-critics-as-a-rule-who-say/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [From Maya Angelou I began to believe that I, too, someday, could be a writer, and I also learned how tortuous it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-benedict/from-maya-angelou-i-began-to-believe-that-i-too-someday-could-be-a/) [Dirk Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-benedict/) > [I am an English major in school with an emphasis in creative writing. I think hearing Maya Angelou speak at school last year was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-savage/i-am-an-english-major-in-school-with-an-emphasis-in-creative-writing/) [Fred Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-savage/) > [Thank you so much for supporting me from the day I stepped foot into the music industry. It really means something to me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/thank-you-so-much-for-supporting-me-from-the-day-i-stepped-foot-into/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [I love "Phenomenal Woman." The experiences she had of being African American in the U.S. - that itself is a task. I appreciate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-williams/i-love-phenomenal-woman-the-experiences-she-had-of-being-african/) [Serena Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serena-williams/) > [When people tell you who they are, Maya Angelou famously advised, believe them. Just as importantly, however, when people try to tell you who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/when-people-tell-you-who-they-are-maya-angelou-famously-advised/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [I go to a hotel and try to get there by 5:30 in the morning. I keep a dictionary, a thesaurus, a bible, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-go-to-a-hotel-and-try-to-get-there-by-5-30-in-the-morning-i-keep-a/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/words-mean-more-than-what-is-set-down-on-paper-it-takes-the-human-2/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I thought, "why don't we be innovative and create something nobody had ever done before?" It was a huge hit and we immediately did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-thought-why-don-t-we-be-innovative-and-create-something-nobody-had/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [“Nikhilananda’s birthday. Maybe we’d Morris dance, naked, around the base of an old-growth California redwood, its branches lavishly festooned with the soiled hammocks and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/nikhilananda-s-birthday-maybe-we-d-morris-dance-naked-around-the-base/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time. maya angelou”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-veaux/have-enough-courage-to-trust-love-one-more-time-and-always-one-more/) [Franklin Veaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-veaux/) ## More by Oprah Winfrey > [I've seen that many times in rural African villages where people have nothing but a hut and a bowl. The joy in the children's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-ve-seen-that-many-times-in-rural-african-villages-where-people-have/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“Forgiveness is about letting go of the past and not holding on to it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/forgiveness-is-about-letting-go-of-the-past-and-not-holding-on-to-it/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [The deepest courage we can exercise is continuing to believe in our dreams until we make them come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-deepest-courage-we-can-exercise-is-continuing-to-believe-in-our/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [If you can see it, and believe it, it is a LOT easier to achieve it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/if-you-can-see-it-and-believe-it-it-is-a-lot-easier-to-achieve-it/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It's why you were born. And how you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/there-is-no-greater-gift-you-can-give-or-receive-than-to-honor-your/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Gratitude is the single greatest treasure I will take with me from this experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/gratitude-is-the-single-greatest-treasure-i-will-take-with-me-from/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I am disappointed by this controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces because I rely on the publishers to define the category that a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-am-disappointed-by-this-controversy-surrounding-a-million-little/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Keep a grateful journal. Every night, list five things that you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is change our perspective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/keep-a-grateful-journal-every-night-list-five-things-that-you-are/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I want every day to be a fresh start on expanding what is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-want-every-day-to-be-a-fresh-start-on-expanding-what-is-possible/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [We often block our own blessings because we don't feel inherently good enough or smart enough or pretty enough or worthy enough... You're worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/we-often-block-our-own-blessings-because-we-don-t-feel-inherently/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [One if the hardest things in life to learn are which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/one-if-the-hardest-things-in-life-to-learn-are-which-bridges-to-cross/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [You must feed your mind with reading material, thoughts, and ideas that open you to new possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/you-must-feed-your-mind-with-reading-material-thoughts-and-ideas-that/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Your soul tells you when it's time to move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/your-soul-tells-you-when-it-s-time-to-move-on/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) [Explore all 971 Oprah Winfrey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## More Angelou quotes > [Thank you so much for supporting me from the day I stepped foot into the music industry. It really means something to me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-j-blige/thank-you-so-much-for-supporting-me-from-the-day-i-stepped-foot-into/) [Mary J. Blige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-j-blige/) > [Maya Angelou observed you cant use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. Sadly,too often creativity is smothered rather than nurtured.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/maya-angelou-observed-you-cant-use-up-creativity-the-more-you-use-the/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Of course, there are those critics - New York critics as a rule - who say, 'Well, Maya Angelou has a new book out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/of-course-there-are-those-critics-new-york-critics-as-a-rule-who-say/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I thought, "why don't we be innovative and create something nobody had ever done before?" It was a huge hit and we immediately did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-thought-why-don-t-we-be-innovative-and-create-something-nobody-had/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I am an English major in school with an emphasis in creative writing. I think hearing Maya Angelou speak at school last year was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-savage/i-am-an-english-major-in-school-with-an-emphasis-in-creative-writing/) [Fred Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-savage/) > [When you learn, teach. When you get, give. Maya Angelou taught me that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/when-you-learn-teach-when-you-get-give-maya-angelou-taught-me-that/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [You did the best you could, the best you knew how at the time." It was something like that. From Oprah on an Oprah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/you-did-the-best-you-could-the-best-you-knew-how-at-the-time-it-was/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/words-mean-more-than-what-is-set-down-on-paper-it-takes-the-human-2/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I go to a hotel and try to get there by 5:30 in the morning. I keep a dictionary, a thesaurus, a bible, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-go-to-a-hotel-and-try-to-get-there-by-5-30-in-the-morning-i-keep-a/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [When people tell you who they are, Maya Angelou famously advised, believe them. Just as importantly, however, when people try to tell you who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/when-people-tell-you-who-they-are-maya-angelou-famously-advised/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [I love "Phenomenal Woman." The experiences she had of being African American in the U.S. - that itself is a task. I appreciate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serena-williams/i-love-phenomenal-woman-the-experiences-she-had-of-being-african/) [Serena Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serena-williams/) > [From Maya Angelou I began to believe that I, too, someday, could be a writer, and I also learned how tortuous it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-benedict/from-maya-angelou-i-began-to-believe-that-i-too-someday-could-be-a/) [Dirk Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-benedict/) > [What stands out to me most about Maya Angelou is not what she has done or written or spoken; it's how she lived her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/what-stands-out-to-me-most-about-maya-angelou-is-not-what-she-has/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) [Browse all 14 Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angelou/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've learned to rely on the strength I inherited from all those who came before me-the grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and brothers who were tested with unimaginable hardships and still survived. 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