Maya Angelou: "Most people don't grow up" • Liberal Arts

In youth we’re twofold. Our innate intelligence, which may be considerable, coexists with the stupidity of our inexperience, which forms a second, lesser intelligence. Only later on do the two unite. That’s why youth always blunders – not because of its inexperience, but because of its non-unity.

You will be constantly urged to become like the rest, to become something of a hypocrite, say things you don’t really mean, and if you do marry that may raise problems too. You must understand that life is a very complex affair—not just pursuing what you want to do and being pigheaded about it. These young people want to become something—lawyers, e

The more I see of human lives, the more I believe the business of growing up is much longer drawn out than we pretend. If we achieve it in our 30's, even our 40s, we're doing well.

one that has very little to do with age and very much to do with taking responsibility for one’s own life and choices. That’s something that can happen at any age.