COMMENTARY
This week, late author and cultural goddess Maya Angelou was honored with a U.S. Forever postage stamp. Featured prominently on the stamp is a lovely photograph of Angelou and a quotation, that, whoopsie, turned out to be written by fellow author Joan Walsh Anglund. What, there’s no fact-checking at the U.S. Postal Service?
The quote has been misattributed to Angelou before due to its connection to her famous work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Even President Obama credited the writer with Anglund’s words when memorializing Angelou last year. By the time the mistake was caught, the stamps had been printed, leaving First Lady Michelle Obama and First Lady of Media Oprah Winfrey to gather in front of a problematic stamp at the formal unveiling.
Hey, if you’re gonna get it wrong, get it all the way wrong. Here are some of our other ideas for misquoted Maya Angelou stamps.
This quote is actually from an extremely compelling Maya Angelou-Law and Order crossover fanfic.
Others have misattributed this to fellow stamp recipient Steve Jobs, but it’s actually from the movie Jobs.
Nice try, Postal Service.
Another common misconception – this text is from Jim Carrey’s disturbing personal Twitter account.
Very close, but wrong again! This is a recent depressing social media post from my teenage brother.
While there are a myriad of wonderful Angelou-isms that might have made the cut, we will do what she always said, “forgive and forget.”
Actually, maybe she wasn’t the first to say this. Who knows?
