Oprah Winfrey Quotes

Have a similar outlook as a monarch. A ruler is not reluctant to come up short. Disappointment is an alternate steppingstone to significance.

People just want to know that they matter.

A lesson will keep repeating itself until it is learned. Life first will send the lesson to you in the size of a pebble; if you ignore the pebble, then life will send you a brick; if you ignore the brick, life will send you a brick wall; if you ignore the brick wall, life will send you a demolition truck.

I believe that one of life's greatest risks is never daring to risk.

When you make loving others the story of your life, there's never a final chapter, because the legacy continues. You lend your light to one person, and he or she shines it on another and another and another. And I know for sure that in the final analysis of our lives- when the to-do lists are no more, when the frenzy is finished, when our e-mail inboxes are empty- the only thing that will have any lasting value is whether we've loved others and whether they've loved us.

There is a seeded bread that I bring from South Africa. I bring home 10, 20 loaves. I am so bad with this bread. I've literally been in hotels and brought my own: "Please, can you toast this? I have my own bread." They're like, "You have your own bread?" And I'll pull it out!

I have created a life by stepping out of the box of people's limitations. I call it zigging when others are zagging.

Strength times strength times strength times strength times strength times strength means power.

Remove the fear, and the answer comes into focus.

It doesn't matter how far you might rise. At some point you are bound to stumble ... If you're constantly pushing yourself higher ... the law of averages, not to mention the Myth of Icarus, predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you do I want you to know this, remember this: There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.

Money is worth nothing if it can't buy you the opportunity to love more.

I've talked to nearly 30,000, people on this show, and all 30,000, had one thing in common: They all wanted validation ... I would tell you that every single person you will ever meet shares that common desire.

Over the years, I've interviewed thousands of people, most of them women, and I would say that the root of every dysfunction I've ever encountered, every problem, has been some sense of a lacking of self-value or of self-worth.

I've learned to rely on the strength I inherited from all those who came before me-the grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and brothers who were tested with unimaginable hardships and still survived. 'I go forth alone, and stand as ten thousand,' Maya Angelou proclaimed in her poem 'Our Grandmothers.' When I move through the world, I bring all my history with me-all the people who paved the way for me are part of who I am.

I have a sense of greatness, which comes from feeling that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing on the planet - empowering people, especially women.

Whatever your secret, live your own truth; life is too short.

Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn't lie.

Live free of regret and filled with as much joy, fun, and laughter as you can stand. You have a choice. Enjoy yourself.

God can dream a bigger dream for you then you could ever dream for yourself.

The truth is I have from the very beginning listened to my instincts. All of my best decisions in life have come because I was attuned to what really felt like the next right move for me.

Learn from every mistake, because every experience, particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.

I was happy over little things: mango sorbet, and running, and the way my feet felt touching the ground when I ran.

Your life is always speaking to you. It speaks in whispers, guiding you to your next right step.

Even if you flippin' fries at McDonald's, if you are excellent, everybody wants to be in your line.

A world of possibilities awaits you. Keep turning the page.

It all boils down to one thing...it is your 'relationship' to the source, and that relationship to that which we call God, or don't call God, or don't even know...is God. It is ALL that really matters...when you surrender, and stop resisting, and stop trying to change that which you cannot change, but be in the moment, be fully open to the blessings you have already received, and those that are yet to come to you, and stand in that space of gratitude, and honor, and claim that for yourself, and look at where you are, and how far you have come, and what you've gotten, and what you've accomplished, and who you are. When you can claim 'that', and see that, the literal vibration of your life will change. The Vibration of Your Life Will Change.

The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth really will set you free.

Devon Franklin

Oprah: One of the things that you say that really struck me is that if we look at our life as a movie and God as the director of our movie, then we use our faith to help propel us forward in trusting in the director, correct?
Devon Franklin: Yes. Absolutely. Because what I realized is that sometimes we, in the most difficult times in our story, we begin to lose faith.
Oprah: And start to think we're in control of things. But all it takes is one wrong turn and we quickly remember that's just not true. Here is what I love. You say: "The truth is, you and I are in control of only two things: how we prepare for what might happen, and how we respond to what just happened. The moment when things actually do happen belongs to God."
Devon: Amen.
Oprah: Brilliant. Brilliant.
Devon: It's true. Because what happens is, the moments when things happen in our life, we don't control. In a moment, life can change for the better or what in the moment may seem for the worse. So our job is to prepare.
Oprah: Prepare for only two things.
Devon: That's right.
Oprah: Prepare for what might happen. And then how we respond to what has happened.
Devon: That's right. Because so many times what keeps us in that valley of depression, what keeps us in that valley of frustration, is our response to a moment and not recognizing that it is exactly that. It's a moment. It's one scene of your movie. And what makes a great movie are scenes

This season don't get lost in making the perfect meal or become overwhelmed with all the folks in your house. Use this time to center yourself.

Failures can be God's little whispers (or) a full earthquake in our lives because we didn't listen to the whispers

Here's how I see your weight - it is your smoke detector. And we're all burning up the best part of our lives. I'd never thought of it that way before, but it was a true aha moment. My weight was an indicator warning, a flashing light blaring my disconnection from the center of myself.

Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.

I don't have a lot of "I can't" inside me.

Keeping a journal will change your life in ways that you'd never imagine.

Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.

The only thing that can free you is the belief that you can be free.

You will be wounded many times in your life. You'll make mistakes. Some people will call them failures but I have learned that failure is really God's way of saying, "Excuse me, you're moving in the wrong direction." It's just an experience, just an experience.

I'm black, I don't feel burdened by it and I don't think it's a huge responsibility. It's part of who I am. It does not define me.

The pathway to your best life isn't the route of denial. It's owning every moment.

Always listen to your inner voice.

If you're sitting around waiting on somebody to save you, to fix you, to even help you, you are wasting your time because only you have the power to take responsibility to move your life forward

When you learn to say thank you, you see the world anew.

There are still generations of people, older people, who were born and bred and marinated in it, in that prejudice and racism, and they just have to die.

People make things happen. All the rest is just window dressing

If you want your life to be more rewarding, you have to change the way you think.

It's not easy being grateful all the time. But it's when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you

I want to use television not only to entertain, but to help people lead better lives.

I believe in the power that not only allows the sun to rise but turns seeds into flowers and dreams into realities.

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

You can either see yourself as a wave in the ocean or you can see yourself as the ocean.

Bravery shows up in everyday life when people have the courage to live their truth, their vision and their dreams.

I for sure believe in miracles. For me, a miracle is seeing the world with light in your eyes. It's knowing there's always hope and possibility where none seems to exist. Many people are so closed to miracles that even when one is boldly staring them in the face, they label it coincidence or serendipity. I call it like I see it.

Life has taught me to just be the best I can be.

The chance to love and be loved exists no matter who or where you are.

Lasting joy is found not in what you get, but in what you give.

The way to choose happiness is to follow what is right and real and the truth for you. You can never be happy living someone else's dream. Live your own. And you will for sure know the meaning of happiness.

Even people who believe they deserve to be happy and have nice things often don't feel worthy once they have them.

We go through life discovering the truth about who we are and determining who has earned the right to share the space within our heart. And now I simply want to share what I've been given. I want to continue to encourage as many people as I can to open their hearts to life, because if I know anything for sure, it's that opening my heart is what has brought memory greatest success and joy.

What I've learned about being angry with people is that it generally hurts you more than it hurts them.

As a spiritual seeker, I understand that this journey requires you to not only embrace all that is whole and good in your life but also to continually examine the long-buried wounds hidden beneath your carefully crafted surface.
This is what I mean when I say, "Turn your wounds into wisdom.

What I find powerful is a person with
the confidence to be her own self.

The reason I gained so much weight in the first place and the reason I had such a sorry history of abusive relationships with men was I just needed approval so much. I needed everyone to like me, because I didn't like myself much.

I think people who have good parents come into the world with a strength, yes, and an advantage.

The whole barrier exists because most people never come together and sit down at a table ... join together, break bread together, and celebrate their differences and their likenesses.

My business skills have come from being guided by my inner self - my intuition.

I've always known that life is better when you share it. I now realize it gets even sweeter when you expand the circle.

The roses, the lovely notes, the dining and dancing are all welcome and splendid. But when the Godiva is gone, the gift of real love is having someone who'll go the distance with you. Someone who, when the wedding day limo breaks down, is willing to share a seat on the bus.

I know that I am more than my personality, my body, and my body image.

You can have it all. Just not all at once.

Everybody matters. Everyone just wants to be heard.

I would say my faith has become strengthened every time I have faced what I considered to be a trial, and there is no greater trial than being 14 and pregnant and not even knowing what it is.

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not.

If you take care of your body, it'll take care of you.

The deepest courage we can exercise is continuing to believe in our dreams until we make them come true.

I made the decision I will own my own show. So never again will I ever be told what I can and can not do.

I believe I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. I know who and what holds the future. I trust that beyond this space and time, all is well, and all will be well.

One of my purposes is to use the television show as a voice to not only entertain people, as I did in the beginning, but as a source of information, as a source of enlightenment, wherever we can, and also as a source of lifting people up wherever you can.

Your job is not just to do what your parents say, what your teachers say, what society says, but to figure out what your heart calling is and to be led by that.

You are responsible for the energy that you create for yourself, and you're responsible for the energy that you bring to others.

You cannot wait for someone to save you, to help you, to complete you. No one can complete you. You complete yourself.

My highest achievement: never shutting my heart down. Even in my darkest moments - through sexual abuse, a pregnancy at 14, lies and betrayals - I remained faithful, hopeful, and open to seeing the best in people, regardless of whether they were showing me their worst. I stayed open to believing that no matter how hard the climb, there is always a way to let in a sliver of light to illuminate the path forward.

You have to be responsible for the energy you're putting out into the world.

My constant focus is on being better. Should I be doing multimedia video production? Or seminars on the Internet? How can I do what I'm already doing in a more forceful way?

Whatever our dreams, ideas, or projects, we plant a seed, nurture it
and then reap the fruits of our labors.

Before you agree to do anything that might add even the smallest amount of stress to your life ask yourself What is my truest intention Give yourself time to let a yes resound within you. When it's right, I guarantee that your entire body will feel it.

The greatest lesson of life is that you are responsible for your life.

God is a feeling experience and not a believing experience. If your religion is a believing experience ... then that's not truly God.

The roles we play in each other's lives are only as powerful as the trust and connection between us
the protection, safety, and caring we are willing to share.

Life isn't just about what you can have; it's about what you have to give, what kind of person do you want to be?

There were no ugly people in Ethiopia

People have power to make a difference in their lives.

I have not missed a day in my life of praying. It's always about the same thing, using my life as a vehicle. Whatever I do, let it bring goodness to myself and to everybody that I come in contact with.

The goal of my shows, my interviews, my business, my philanthropy, all of it, whatever ventures I might pursue, would be to make clear that what unites us is ultimately far more redeeming and compelling than anything that separates me.

The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.

If you're blessed enough to grow older, which is how I look at aging, there's so much wisdom to be gained from people who are celebrating the process with vibrancy and vigor and grace.

Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different.

Turn your wounds into wisdom.

Say "Thank You" because your faith is so strong that you don't doubt that what ever the problem, you'll get through it. You're saying thank-you because you know that even in the eye of the storm, God has put a rainbow in the clouds.

I don't have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.

You will forgive because you love yourself so much that you don't want to keep hurting yourself for whatever happened. Whatever happened is done and cannot be changed. And we have to accept that and keep going with our life.

- Don Miguel Ruiz