Top 895 Quotes & Sayings by Oprah Winfrey - Page 12

I also like some of Joel Osteen's work. I think he's now doing a book about one of my favorite sermons of his, "The Power of 'I Am.' " I just love that sermon.

I do miss the people in the audience and the fun: "I came with my mother! And this is my mother!" I miss that. I miss: "My cousin and I came all the way from...." I miss that. I don't miss this - who is left to interview?

When you wake up in the morning looking for the light, the light will come.

My theory is that when you're famous, you're no different from anybody else - it's just that more people know your name.

There were lots of little boys having their bar mitzvahs all over the world, and they sent me tapes of some of them that they interviewed, probably six or seven little boys, and there was something about Mendel. I just loved his little face. I loved the energy of Mendel.

I believe that education is freedom. It provides the tools to affect one's own destiny.

You have the RIGHT to change your mind

Life is about growth and change. When you are no longer doing that — that is your whisper; that is your whisper that you are supposed to do something else.

I love hearing stories, telling stories, sharing stories. I've shared 37,000 on the Oprah show! Every day I was like the town crier.

I think education is power. I think that being able to communicate with people is power. One of my main goals on the planet is to encourage people to empower themselves." Another "I was raised to believe that excellence is the deterrent to racism and sexism. And that's how I operate my life." And another "It does not matter who you are or where you came from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.

Do what you want to do, when you want to do it ... and not a moment sooner.

I'm stopped. I'll never eat another burger.

Your work speaks for you. Your art defines you.

Failure is life at it's most poignant and it's only there to push you in the right direction.

I can honestly say that I'm not a person who thinks about awards, as much I think about the work itself.

I decided to be the best and the smartest.

Every birthday, you decide whether to mark it the end of your greatest days or the beginning of your finest hour.

Anybody who has ever done anything knows that, when you believe, it doesn't matter what other people think. You just have to keep finding a way to align your vision with other people who will receive and accept your vision. And when the time is right, if it is for you, it will show itself, if you believe.

Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?

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.

Many things in life inspire philanthropy, such as your faith in humanity and your belief in the human spirit to overcome.

Have the boldness to tell yourself the truth - every bit of it.

I really feel a sense of responsibility first as a creation of a force that I call God, that's bigger than myself. And because I'm black, I feel the responsibility to that. I feel the responsibility to my womanness. But more importantly, I feel a responsibility to my humanness.

Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and my maintaining focus.

I truly understand that there is a lesson in everything that happens to us. So I tried not to spend my time asking "Why did this happen to me?" but trying to figure out why I had chosen this.

What would I do if I wasn't afraid?

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 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.

To be fully human is...to know that it's possible to face the unimaginable and somehow put one foot in front of the other.

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.

The very first time I had Whitney Houston on my show, however many years ago, I thought, "You are 'the voice.'" You are the voice, that was my name for you.

I think I try to speak to the heart of the woman who I know is interested in growing into herself.

Take what you can do and use it for the highest good to benefit others.

Make yourself a priority. Fill yourself up so that you can give more to others.

You will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal, there really is only one, and that is this: to fulfill the highest most truthful expression of yourself as a human being. You want to max out your humanity by using your energy to lift yourself up, your family and the people around you. Theologian Howard Thurman said it best. He said, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

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.

Wherever you are, that’s your stage, your circle of influence. That’s your talk show, that’s where your power lies. ... You have the power to change somebody’s life. Everyone has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it.

Books showed me there were possibilities in life, that there were actually people like me living in a world I could not only aspire to but attain. Reading gave me hope. For me, it was the open door.

Life is a big ol' canvas. And you have every combination of colors to paint with.

Love is a lesson worth learning.

There are no mistakes in life!

You've got to figure out what it is you love - who you really are - and have the courage to do that.

You can't accomplish anything worthwhile if you inhibit yourself

What I know for 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.

The commonality in the human experience is the same. We have the same sorrows, and the same triumphs. Joy is joy is joy.

Only by owning who and what you are can you step into the fullness of life.

The true meaning of courage is to be afraid, and then, with your knees knocking and your heart racing, to step out anyway—even when that step makes sense to nobody but you. I know that’s not easy. But making a bold move is the only way to truly advance toward the grandest vision the universe has for you.

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.

People believe marriage will make us better.

A gift isn't a gift unless it has meaning. Just giving things to people, especially children, create the expectation of more things.

Your intention rules your life and determines the outcome.

I don't go tanning anymore because Obama put a 10 percent tax on tanning. I feel like he did that intentionally for us, like McCain would never put a 10 percent tax on tanning because he's pale and he would probably wanna be tanned.

You were seen, you were heard and you matter.

Great communication begins with connection.

Nothing about my life is lucky. Nothing. A lot of grace, a lot of blessings, a lot of divine order, but I don't believe in luck. For me, luck is preparation meeting the moment of opportunity. There is no luck without you being prepared to handle that moment of opportunity. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for the moment that is to come.

I can't imagine I could have become the person I am now without books. Books became synonymous with freedom. They showed that you could open doors and walk through.

Be loving to yourself and others will see that love reciprocated. This rule works every time

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.

Surround yourself only with those who lift you higher.

I am a product of every other black woman before me who has done or said anything worthwhile. Recognizing that I am part of history is what allows me to soar.