You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Genuine
Yes. In And Still I Rise (1978), ‘Still I Rise’, first stanza, lines 3–4, said by a defiant Black lyric speaker addressing those who would humiliate her. These are the character’s words, not a statement in Angelou’s own voice.
Checked against Maya Angelou, ‘Still I Rise’, in And Still I Rise (1978); authorized text published by the Academy of American Poets, in a full-text transcription.
- Work
- And Still I Rise, 1978
- Where
- ‘Still I Rise’, first stanza, lines 3–4
- Source
- Maya Angelou, ‘Still I Rise’, in And Still I Rise (1978); authorized text published by the Academy of American Poets
- Checked
- In a full-text transcription
Researched by AI. Entry updated 23 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
About this quote
The scene
The poem begins by addressing someone whose account of history demeans its speaker. These two lines answer that degradation with the image of dust rising from the ground. Later stanzas make the historical stakes explicit through Black identity, ancestral inheritance and slavery.
What it means
An attempt to trample the speaker cannot keep her down: the very image of being pushed into dirt becomes an image of rising.
Often misread
The lines can encourage personal resilience, but the poem is not only an abstract message about confidence. Its ending locates this resistance in Black history and the inheritance of enslaved ancestors.
Topics
Related quotes
- I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become. (misattributed) Carl Gustav Jung
- You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. (not found) Marcus Aurelius
- History, despite its wrenching pain Cannot be unlived, but if faced With courage, need not be lived again.
- To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. (misattributed) Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. Mahatma Gandhi
Cite it
Maya Angelou, And Still I Rise (1978), ‘Still I Rise’, first stanza, lines 3–4. Spoken by a defiant Black lyric speaker addressing those who would humiliate her. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/but-still-like-dust-ill-rise/ (23 October 2026).
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Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
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