You did what you knew how to do, and when you knew better, you did better.

The earliest located instance of the full, longer wording appears in 1995 reporting about an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah Winfrey told audiences she had confided a painful secret to her friend and mentor Maya Angelou, and she quoted Angelou as responding with this line as reassurance about past mistakes. Earlier decades show shorter, more general forms of the idea (“when/if you know better, do better”) in newspapers and speeches, but not the same extended phrasing.

The quote frames past actions as the best someone could manage with the understanding and skills they had at the time, while also setting an expectation of growth: once new insight is gained, behavior should improve. It encourages self-compassion without excusing responsibility, emphasizing learning and change over shame.

“You did what you knew how to do, and when you knew better, you did better.”

“When you know better, you do better.”

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”