Episode Summary

Podcast: Oprah's Super Soul
Host: Oprah Winfrey
Episode: Super Soul Special: Dr. Maya Angelou, Part 2: Best Advice She Ever Received
Original Air Date: September 10, 2025

Overview

In this deeply personal and moving episode, Oprah sits down with legendary poet and author Dr. Maya Angelou for a candid and soulful conversation about aging, gratitude, the power of love, forgiveness, ancestry, and the best advice they have both received and given. Through warm storytelling and profound reflection, Dr. Angelou shares wisdom from her own life and the women who shaped her—her mother Vivian Baxter and her grandmother—offering timeless guidance on living with courage, embracing every season of life, and staying true to oneself.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Joy and Wisdom of Aging

• Maya on Reaching Her 80s:
  Dr. Angelou celebrates the privilege of aging, emphasizing self-care and savoring each year.
  • “Do it if you can. If you have a choice, choose the 80s.” (02:44)
  • On care and moderation: “Moderation in all things. And even moderation in moderation.” (02:50)
  • On gratitude for each birthday: “Every age, I've been grateful.” (04:39)

Gratitude as a Practice

• On Being Thankful—Even in Hardship:
  Oprah recalls a pivotal moment when Maya prompted her to respond to pain with gratitude.
  • “Thank you for everything...thank you for the phone call that told me I have the job. Thank you even for the phone call that told me I'm not wanted anymore.” (05:03)
  • Maya’s philosophy: “Because I know you have something better for me lined up.” (05:14)
  • Notable Moment: Oprah describes a vulnerable time:
    • Oprah: “You said, stop it. Stop it right now. I want you to say thank you.” (05:21)

Lessons from Mama Vivian Baxter

• The Power of Parental Love and Support:
  Maya describes her mother, Vivian, as fiercely loving and supportive, never shaming Maya even during difficult times.
  • Vivian’s words as Maya left home:
    • “With what you've learned from your grandmother in Arkansas and what you've learned from me, you know the difference between right and wrong. Do right...But don't let anybody change your mind. And then remember this, you can always come home.” (09:35)
  • On becoming a young mother: “We’re not going to ruin three lives. We’re going to have a beautiful baby.” (10:42)
  • On her safe return: “Whenever I'd go home…the world would throw me flat on my face…she would act as if the best thing that has ever happened...She never, ever made me feel that I had done the wrong thing.” (09:58)

The Transformative Power of Love

• “Love liberates.” (08:29)
• On familial support:
  • “Nobody, but nobody makes it alone.” (12:20)
  • “The love of a family, the love of one person, can heal...scars left of wounds left by a larger society, a massive, powerful society.” (12:23)

Words and Sources of Comfort

• Words as Power:
  • “Words are things and they're so powerful.” (14:14)
• On Divine Love:
  • “God loves me...It humbles me, this force which made leaves and fleas and stars and rivers. And you loves me. Me, Maya Angelou. It's amazing.” (15:35)
• Finding Solace:
  • Maya shares “Lessons in Truth” from Unity Church as a source of comfort. (15:13)

Ancestry and Collective Strength

• “I come as one, but I stand as 10,000.” (17:19)
  • Maya speaks on feeling the presence of her ancestors and the responsibility to their legacy:
    • “Wherever I am...my great grandmother stands there with me.” (17:07)
  • Oprah notes the personal power in this poetry during difficult moments: “I recited that to myself many times.” (17:33)

Being a Work in Progress

• Despite her iconic status, Maya maintains humility:
  • On being “en route:” “I'm further along than I was, but I'm still en route. I don’t know when I know enough...I know enough to try to live what I know now. That's a lot.” (18:03)

The Best Advice Given and Received

• For her son, and universally:
  • “In order to get a friend, you have to be a friend.” (18:41)
  • “There’s a place in you that you must keep inviolate...that may be the place you go to when you meet God...Back up. Not here.” (18:55-19:34)
  • “Say no when it’s no, say so, back it up. Because that place has to remain clean.” (19:41)
• On Forgiveness:
  • “The greatest advice is to forgive. I don't anoint it with anything. I just forgive it.” (20:31)
  • Oprah: “When you forgive somebody doesn't mean you want to sit down and invite them to your table.” (20:47)
  • Maya: “No, indeed not. I just mean I’m finished with you. Go away...I do have to protect myself.” (20:57)

Faith, Spirituality, and the Soul

• Maya’s Definition of God:
  • “If I was asked, say it in your definition of God in one word. It would be all. A-L-L. There is no place that God is not.” (21:27)
• On the Afterlife:
  • “What do you believe happens when you die?” Oprah asks.
  • “Oh, I go back to all. That's all. I’m in all right now. I just go back to all.” (22:12-22:22)
• The Meaning of Soul:
  • “The soul is a spirit which longs for all...The poetry, I write it so I can get closer to all...to tell so much truth, not facts, because facts can obscure the truth.” (23:04)
• Art as Prayer:
  • “Art is another form of prayer.” (24:15)
  • “You’re using God itself to help you to get to God.” (24:18)

Spirituality, Prayer, and Inner Peace

• Spirituality vs. Religion:
  • “Religion is like a map...spirituality for you means...Oh, surrender. I surrender all to all.” (24:33-24:52)
• Prayer:
  • “I am a praying woman...when I pray, something wonderful happens not just to the person for whom I’m praying, but also to me.” (25:03)
• Where Maya Feels Most at Peace:
  • “With myself. In myself, always...once I know I am centered in God. I live and move and have my being. I’m all right, Jack.” (25:45)
  • Oprah relates: “That is my living mantra for myself.” (26:52)
• On Love as a Life-Saving Force:
  • “I know for sure that love saves me and that it is here to save us all...It can raise the dead. It can make a mountain move. I know it.” (27:21-28:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Aging:

  • Maya Angelou: “If you have a choice, choose the 80s.” (02:47)

• On Gratitude and Resilience:

  • Maya Angelou: “Thank you for this day. Thank you for the light coming through that window. Thank you...for the phone call that told me I have the job. Thank you even for the phone call that told me I’m not wanted anymore. Thank you. Because I know you have something better for me lined up.” (05:03-05:22)

• On Parental Love:

  • Vivian Baxter’s advice: “Remember this when you cross my doorstep, you have already been raised...But don't let anybody change your mind. And then remember this, you can always come home.” (09:34)

• On Love and Healing:

  • Maya Angelou: “Nobody, but nobody makes it alone.” (12:20)

• On Inner Sanctity:

  • Maya Angelou: “There’s a place in you that you must keep inviolate...Nobody has a right to curse you or treat you badly. Nobody...That may be the place you go to when you meet God.” (18:55-19:34)

• On Forgiveness:

  • Maya Angelou: “I just mean I’m finished with you. Go away.” (20:57)

• On God:

  • Maya Angelou: “God is all. There is no place that God is not.” (21:27)

• On Being Carried by Ancestors:

  • Maya Angelou (quoting her poem): “I come as one, but I stand as 10,000.” (17:19)

• On Spirituality:

  • Maya Angelou: “Religion is like a map...spirituality...Oh, surrender. I surrender all to all.” (24:37-24:52)

• On the Power of Love:

  • Maya Angelou: “I know for sure that love saves me and that it is here to save us all...It can raise the dead.” (27:21-28:03)

Important Timestamps

• Aging and Joyful Acceptance: 02:35 – 04:59
• Power of Gratitude: 05:02 – 06:20
• Mother’s Influence & Family Support: 06:38 – 12:15
• Words, Prayer, and Comfort: 14:14 – 16:40
• Ancestry and Collective Strength: 16:40 – 18:03
• Advice for Self and Others: 18:38 – 21:16
• Forgiveness: 20:31 – 21:16
• Views on God, the Soul, Death: 21:22 – 24:33
• Art/Prayer/Spirituality: 24:33 – 26:43
• Peace and Inner Anchoring: 25:45 – 27:17
• Final Wisdom on Love: 27:21 – 28:03

Tone and Style

The episode is conversational, warm, and steeped in mutual reverence and affection. Maya Angelou’s voice carries authority, humor, and grace, while Oprah’s questions are searching, respectful, and often intimate—reflecting both professional admiration and deep personal connection. The tone is intimate, celebratory, and reflective, inviting listeners into a sacred exchange of life lessons and spiritual wisdom.

Ideal For:
Listeners seeking wisdom on aging, self-worth, gratitude, forgiveness, the power of love, and spirituality—delivered with grace and authenticity by two of the most influential women of our time.