Quotes by Oprah Winfrey
Welcome to our collection of quotes (with shareable picture quotes) by Oprah Winfrey. We hope you enjoy pondering them and that you will share them widely.
Wikipedia Summary for Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media,” she was the richest African American of the 20th century and North America's first black multi-billionaire, and she has been ranked the greatest Black philanthropist in American history. By 2007, she was sometimes ranked as the most influential woman in the world.
Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi to a single teenage mother and later raised in inner-city Milwaukee. She has stated that she was molested during her childhood and early teens and became pregnant at 14; her son was born prematurely and died in infancy. Winfrey was then sent to live with the man she calls her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber in Tennessee, and landed a job in radio while still in high school. By 19, she was a co-anchor for the local evening news. Winfrey's often emotional, extemporaneous delivery eventually led to her transfer to the daytime talk show arena, and after boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk show to first place, she launched her own production company.
By the mid-1990s, Winfrey had reinvented her show with a focus on literature, self-improvement, mindfulness, and spirituality. Though she has been criticized for unleashing a confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas, and having an emotion-centered approach, she has also been praised for overcoming adversity to become a benefactor to others. Winfrey had also emerged as a political force in the 2008 presidential race, with her endorsement of Barack Obama estimated to have been worth about one million votes during the 2008 Democratic primaries. In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama and received honorary doctorate degrees from Duke and Harvard. In 2008, she formed her own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
Credited with creating a more intimate, confessional form of media communication, Winfrey popularized and revolutionized the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue. In 1994, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Winfrey has won many accolades throughout her career which includes 18 Daytime Emmy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Chairman's Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, including the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, a Tony Award, a Peabody Award and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, awarded by the Academy Awards and two additional Academy Award nominations. Winfey was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021.
Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.
When you focus on what you have, your abundance increases. I started with my breath. Noticing being alive is a good start!
You've got to figure out what it is you love -- who you really are -- and have the courage to do that.
If friends disappoint you over and over, that's in large part your own fault. Once someone has shown a tendency to be self-centered, you need to recognize that and take care of yourself; people aren't going to change simply because you want them to.
Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different.
Longer Version/[Notes]:
Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different, it's accepting the past for what it was, and using this moment and this time to help yourself move forward.
The reason I've been able to be so financially successful is my focus has never, ever for one minute been money.
Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.
If things go wrong and you hit a dead end-as you will-it's just life's way of saying it's time to change course.
Every one of us gets through the tough times because somebody is there, standing in the gap to close it for us.
Don't worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.
It is confidence in our bodies, minds, and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures.
Longer Version/[Notes]:
It is confidence in our bodies, minds, and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures. ".
As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you the first time around.
You've got to follow your passion. You've got to figure out what it is you love, who you really are. And have the courage to do that. I believe that the only courage anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams.
The best work we can all do is create the highest vision possible for our lives and be led by that vision to the greatest good.
You can take from every experience what it has to offer you. And you cannot be defeated if you just keep taking one breath followed by another.
Every time a child is saved from the dark side of life, every time one of us makes the effort to make a difference in a child's life, we add light and healing to our own lives.
No matter how diligent or persistent you have been, there is not one of us who made this journey toward success by ourselves.
I'm not one of those people who is trying to act like I don't sleep. I used to be like, Oh, I only need four hours. Now I need exactly 5 1 2 to 6 in order to feel like I've done well.
How can you say you're trying to spiritually evolve, without even a thought about what happens to the animals whose lives are sacrificed in the name of gluttony?
I can't deny that Jerry Springer supposedly beating us didn't affect me. There was a point where I felt like, Golly, you work so hard, you try so hard and the people say they want meaningful television and then Jerry Springer ends up beating you. It was disturbing.
I will just create, and if it works, it works, and if it doesn't, I'll create something else. I don't have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.
The struggle of my life created empathy -- I could relate to pain, being abandoned, having people not love me.
People never fail to amaze me. They face the unimaginable with a shot of grace and a rush of adrenaline; they steel their nerves; they summon their cool or anger or faith or whatever it takes to pull them through, and they go on to live another day.
My theory is that when you're famous, you're no different from anybody else -- it's just that more people know your name.
What, I have actually loved it, because I've been underestimated every step of the way, and it's so exciting when you can prove them all wrong.
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.
We often block our own blessings because we don't feel inherently good enough or smart enough or pretty enough or worthy enough... You're worthy because you are born and because you are here. Your being here, your being alive makes worthiness your birthright. You alone are enough.
Whatever your calling, it's already rooted within you, and those roots can be trampled or tugged at but never removed. They grow stronger only when tended, nurtured, and most important, shared with others.
I'm one of those people who lives for the moment. If you concern yourself with what's going to happen a year from now, or five years from now, you defuse the moment. Whatever comes, comes. For this time I enjoy the ascent. I don't worry about anything except getting thinner thighs.
One of the biggest mistakes humans make is to believe there is only one way. There are many diverse paths leading to what you call God.
Getting my lifelong weight struggle under control has come from a process of treating myself as well as I treat others in every way.
I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased.
I see all art as a complement to telling people's stories. I'm in the storytelling business. I believe that the humanity that all of us share is the stories of our lives, and everybody has a story. Your story is as important as the next person's story.
When ordinary people decide to do extraordinary things they transform their lives and the lives of others around them.
Every birthday, you decide whether to mark it the end of your greatest days or the beginning of your finest hour.
All life is energy and we are transmitting it at every moment. We are all little beaming little signals like radio frequencies, and the world is responding in kind.
I thing that god is always listening to all my prayers.and i have so many dreams in my life.thats why I'm always praying that's someday I'm going to achieve all my dreams.
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.
Getting older is the best thing that ever happened to me. I wake up every morning rejoicing that I'm still here with an opportunity to begin again and be better.
God can dream a bigger dream for you then you could ever dream for yourself.
Longer Version/[Notes]:
God can dream a bigger dream for me, for you, than you could ever dream for yourself. When you've worked as hard and done as much and strived and tried and given and pled and bargained and hoped... Surrender.
When you have done all that you can do, and there's nothing left for you to do, give it up. Give it up to that thing that is greater than yourself, and let it then become a part of the flow.
You need to dream a bigger dream for yourself. That is the lesson. Hold the highest vision possible for your life and it can come true.
I believe that you tend to create your own blessings. You have to prepare yourself so that when opportunity comes, you're ready.
I am a person who lives my life based on intention. I don't do anything without intention because intention determines the outcome of your life. It's like cause and effect.
Improving your life doesn't have to be about changing everything -- it's about making changes that count.
Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don't fight them. Just find a new way to stand.
I've always believed free will is a birthright. God even allows us to choose whether to be led by the divine order.
There's a surge, there's a kind of energy field that says, 'I'm in my groove, I'm in my groove.' and nobody has to tell you, 'You go, girl,' because you know you're already gone.
I believe in the power that not only allows the sun to rise but turns seeds into flowers and dreams into realities.
I don't know what kind of egomaniac is sitting at home thinking about the impact they have had on the culture. It's not something I actually think about until it comes up.
Can I just tell you the truth? I get asked to do a lot of stuff. And all of the years that people have asked me to do things for the film festival, I couldn't. And so this year, I thought, Oh, my god, I don't have a day job. If somebody ask me to do something, I'm going to do it.
Many things in life inspire philanthropy, such as your faith in humanity and your belief in the human spirit to overcome.
Dare to be different. Be a pioneer. Be a leader. Be the kind of woman who in the face of adversity will continue to embrace life and walk fearlessly toward the challenge.
If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. That is the lesson, and that lesson alone will save you a lot of grief.
You cannot continue to succeed in the world or have a fulfilling life in the world unless you choose to use your life in the service somehow to others and give back what you have been given. That's how you keep it. That's how you get it. That's how you grow it.
I'm always interested in people being able to share stories that allow us to see the landscape of human foibles, challenges, and ultimately triumph.
Have the courage to follow your passion -- and if you don't know what it is, realize that one reason for your existence on earth is to find it.
Follow your passion. Do what you love, and the money will follow. Most people don't believe it, but it's true.
I never had children, never even thought I would have children. Now I have 152 daughters; expecting 75 more next year. That is some type of gestation period.
I'm definitely not a traditionalist, because a traditionalist would be going to church every Sunday.
What I know for sure is that what you give comes back to you. That's not just my theory or point of view, it's physics. Life is an energy of giving and receiving... Those that are greedy, hit a road block where they are alone. Give more than you receive and be grateful for those around you.
Whenever you can't think of something to be grateful for, remember your breath. With each breath you take, you can say, 'I'm still here.' Make each day a holiday of thankfulness -and give yourself the gift of gratitude!
I live in the space where God is. There is no question that that is why I am where I am, and why I have had the success that I've had, is because I allow myself to be guided by that which is greater than myself -- than my personality.
Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.
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 own heart is what has brought me my greatest success and joy.
You only have to believe that you can succeed, that you can be whatever your heart desires, be willing to work for it, and you can have it.
Learn to let your intuition-gut instinct-tell you when the food, the relationship, the job isn't good for you (and conversely, when what you're doing is just right).
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.
When I woke up in the morning and look in the mirror I realise that one of the reasons I don't own a handgun is, I would have shot my thighs off years ago.
I could eat a feeling faster than anybody, put a little hot sauce on it and wouldn't recognize it until it showed up on my behind three days later.
If you're hurting, you need to help somebody else ease their hurt. If you're in pain, help somebody else's pain.
I was happy over little things: mango sorbet, and running, and the way my feet felt touching the ground when I ran.
For years I've advocated keeping a gratitude journal, writing down five things every day that brought pleasure and gratefulness.
Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you'll have to eat them, you can swallow it well.
Self-esteem comes from being able to define the world in your own terms and refusing to abide by the judgments of others.
You look at yourself and you accept yourself for who you are, and once you accept yourself for who you are you become a better person.
Every day brings a chance to live free of regret and with as much joy, fun, and laughter as you can stand.
What I know fore sure is that pleasure is energy reciprocated: What you put out comes back. Your base level of pleasure is determined by how you view your whole life.
Allowing the truth of who you are-your spiritual self-to rule your life means you stop the struggle and learn to move with the flow of your life.
You can't accomplish anything worthwhile if you inhibit yourself. If life teaches you nothing else, know this for sure: When you get the chance, go for it.
What I know for sure is that behind every catastrophe, there are great lessons to be learned. Among the many that we as a country need to get is that as long as we play the us and them game, we don't evolve as people, as a nation, as a planet.
I used to have a fake Louis Vuitton bag because I thought it meant something in life. But now I realize that all the things in the world don't define you. It's what you stand for, what you're willing to do, how close to the truth you're willing to be in your life.
I believe that there are forces of light and darkness in the world, and I don't want to be a contributor to the force of darkness.
I want people to be more open and tolerant. I want them to know that behind every stranger is a backstory that is the common denominator -- for we all share in the human experience: pain, sadness, grief, lack of love, and then, with hope and help, step by step achievements.
The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now. And the more grateful you are, the more you get.
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.
I am disappointed by this controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces because I rely on the publishers to define the category that a book falls within and also the authenticity of the work.
Now that I have all the things I once thought would make me happy, they have little meaning for me. Experience, and not just a little heartache, has taught me money buys convenience and conveniences.
Every time you suppress some part of yourself or allow others to play you small, you are in essence ignoring the owner's manual your creator gave you and destroying your design.
There is no such thing as failure. Mistakes happen in your life to bring into focus more clearly who you really are.
All of us need a vision for our lives, and even as we work to achieve that vision, we must surrender to the power that is greater than we know. It's one of the defining principles of my life that I love to share: God can dream a bigger dream for you than you could ever dream for yourself.
Tune out the naysayers, tune into your own courage, and take a bold step toward the passion-filled life you really want.
The best way to look at aging is to see it as an opportunity to leave what didn't work behind and step boldly into a brand new future.
There's a group of 12 oak trees on my property in California that I call 'my disciples.' Their branches form a canopy over the ground, and I sit underneath them for inspiration.
Time isn't the enemy. Fear of change is. Accept that nothing lasts forever and you'll start to appreciate the advantages of whatever age you are now.
What I know for sure: Often we don't even realize who we're meant to be because we're so busy trying to live out someone else's ideas. But other people and their opinions hold no power in defining our destiny.
You know that old joke about the guy who lives to be 104? The punch line goes something like 'If I knew I was gonna get this old, I'd have taken much better care of myself.' Well, guess what? We actually are living longer, and the time to start taking care of ourselves is right this minute.
To come from no voice, no power, and to be able to achieve what I have means that only my own personal vision holds me back.
You become what you believe.
Longer Version/[Notes]:
You become what you believe. And to believe that you are created by the power that's greater than yourself means anything is possible.
Here's what my love affair with quotations has taught me: the more you focus on words that uplift you, the more you embody the ideas contained in those words.
I urge you to pursue preserving your personal history to allow your children and grandchildren to know who you were as a child and what your hopes and dreams were.
Back then, a few doilies and napkins were all that a lot of women had. In the little house where I grew up, the pillowcases my grandmother embroidered were the only things of beauty.
The biggest mistake in helping undeserved kids is not raising the bar high enough. Children will believe if you believe in them.
I grew up in the Baptist Church, and going to church with my father; I remember being 8 years old, trying to determine whether I was really ready to give up sin, and for days I agonized.
Having the courage to stand up and pursue your dreams will give you life's greatest reward and life's greatest adventure.
