History, despite its wrenching pain Cannot be unlived, but if faced With courage, need not be lived again.
Genuine
Yes. In On the Pulse of Morning (1993), ‘On the Pulse of Morning’, the three lines beginning ‘History, despite its wrenching pain’, said by the poem’s personified Rock. These are the character’s words, not a statement in Angelou’s own voice.
Checked against Maya Angelou, On the Pulse of Morning (1993); authorized text published by the Academy of American Poets, in a full-text transcription.
- Work
- On the Pulse of Morning, 1993
- Where
- ‘On the Pulse of Morning’, the three lines beginning ‘History, despite its wrenching pain’
- Source
- Maya Angelou, On the Pulse of Morning (1993); 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
In Angelou’s inaugural poem, a Rock, a River and a Tree summon the country’s many peoples to face their history and make a new beginning. Before this passage, the poem recalls Indigenous dispossession and the buying and selling of Africans. After it, the address turns to shaping a renewed private and public life rather than remaining bound to fear.
What it means
Past suffering cannot be undone, but confronting it honestly and courageously can keep its violence from being repeated.
Often misread
This is not advice to forget the past or pretend its injuries have disappeared. The condition of a different future is facing that history, and the surrounding poem names collective historical violence.
Topics
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- Believe those who seek the truth; doubt those who find it. André Gide
- Remember that it is not he who reviles you or strikes you, who insults you, but it is your opinion about these things as being insulting. When then a man irritates you, you must know that it is your own opinion which has irritated you. Epictetus
Cite it
Maya Angelou, On the Pulse of Morning (1993), ‘On the Pulse of Morning’, the three lines beginning ‘History, despite its wrenching pain’. Spoken by the poem’s personified Rock. Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/history-despite-its-wrenching-pain/ (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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