Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Maya Angelou, who died Wednesday at the age of 86, said that it was her faith that made her so bold in standing for what was right.

“When I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God, when I understood that, when I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous,” Angelou told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2013.

“When I was asked to do something good, I often say yes, I’ll try, yes, I’ll do my best,” she continued, “And part of that is believing, if God loves me, if God made everything from leaves to seals and oak trees, then what is it I can’t do?”

Angelou often stated that before she began to write anything, she would spend time in prayer.  Part of her “writing ritual” was to have a Bible with her when she was writing.

A civil rights leader who spent much time working with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Angelou said that her faith in God is what allowed her to see that all people were created equal under God because God created everyone.

“I will see human beings and I believe — whether they believe it or not — I believe they were made by God and I’m not in a position to put them down because they look different from me,” Angelou said.