Oprah Winfrey Quotes

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

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”


“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.”

“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.”


“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”


“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”


“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.”


“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”

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


“Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.”


“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.”


“Turn your wounds into wisdom.”


“You become what you believe, not what you think or what you want.”


“Whatever has happened to you in your past has no power over this present moment, because life is now.”

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”


“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.”


“Every day, you’re only as good as your last show.”


“I don’t believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process.”


“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”


“Whatever has happened to you in your past has no power over this present moment, because life is now.”


“You CAN have it all. You just can’t have it all at once.”


“Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism.”

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


“Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.”


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


“I believe that every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear.”


“I am a woman in process. I’m just trying like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it. Life is never dull.”


“When you forgive somebody, it doesn’t necessarily mean you want to invite them to your table.”


“I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.”

“The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.”


“What God intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine.”


“If you want to feel good, you have to go out and do some good.”


“Every stumble is not a fall, and every fall does not mean failure.”


“I don’t think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good.”


“You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it.”


“As you become clearer about who you really are, you’ll be better able to decide what is best for you – the first time around.”

“Being human means, you will make mistakes. And you will make mistakes, because failure is God’s way of moving you in another direction.”


“I always knew I was destined for greatness.”


“My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”


“So go ahead. Fall down. The world looks different from the ground.”


“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.”


“I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. And that’s how I operate my life.”


“It isn’t until you come to a spiritual understanding of who you are – not necessarily a religious feeling, but deep down, the spirit within – that you can begin to take control.”

“The struggle of my life created empathy – I could relate to pain, being abandoned, having people not love me.”


“Don’t let people talk you into what they think is you.”


“For every one of us that succeeds, it’s because there’s somebody there to show you the way out.”


“I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”


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


“You alone are enough.”


“With age comes the understanding and appreciation of your most important asset, your health.”

“If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are.”


“I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier.”


“I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I’ve become. If I had, I’d have done it a lot earlier.”


“What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come.”


“If you want to accomplish the goals of your life, you have to begin with the spirit.”


“Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.”


“No matter who we are or what we look like or what we may believe, it is both possible and, more importantly, it becomes powerful to come together in common purpose and common effort.”

“I don’t think you ever stop giving. I really don’t. I think it’s an on-going process. And it’s not just about being able to write a check. It’s being able to touch somebody’s life.”


“With age comes the understanding and appreciation of your most important asset, your health.”


“I have a lot of things to prove to myself. One is that I can live my life fearlessly.”


“Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded, or how much power you have.”


“I consider the world, this Earth, to be like a school, and our life the classrooms.”


“My therapy has come from paying attention to my life.”


“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.”

“My first day in Chicago, September 4, 1983. I set foot in this city, and just walking down the street, it was like roots, like the motherland. I knew I belonged here.”


“My whole reason for creating a network is literally to bring little pieces of light. It’s to continue to spread little pieces of light in the world, to illuminate the possibility of the human spirit.”


“It’s much easier for me to make major life, multi-million-dollar decisions, than it is to decide on a carpet for my front porch. That’s the truth.”


“When you think about growing and being empowered yourself, it is what you’ve been able to do for other people that leaves you the fullest.”


“I know that inner wisdom is more precious than wealth. The more you spend it, the more you gain.”


“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.”

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


“My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with.”


“You’re either humble or you’re not. If you were a jerk before the fame, you just become a jerk with a bigger spotlight. Whoever you are really comes through.”


“What material success does is provide you with the ability to concentrate on other things that really matter. And that is being able to make a difference, not only in your own life, but in other people’s lives.”


“You are who you are at this moment because of everything that’s ever happened to you, everything that you carried forward for yourself.”


“Love somebody. Just one person. And then spread that to two. And as many as you can. You’ll see the difference it makes.”


“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.”


“I always feel that until you take your last breath, you’re always growing.”

“When you’re the most successful person in your family, in your neighborhood, and in your town, everybody thinks you’re the First National Bank, and you have to figure out for yourself where those boundaries are.”


“That’s the gift that a mother can give, to make everyone feel like they are the special one.”


“I’m sick of people sittin’ in chairs stating their problems. Then we roll the videotape… then we have our experts on the topic… I’m in the ‘What’s next?’ phase of my career.”


“Most people honestly want to do as well as they can in their lives.”


“If you’re constantly pushing yourself higher, 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.”


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


“Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.”

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you – always.”


“Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past can be changed.”


“I would like to thank the people who’ve brought me those dark moments, when I felt most wounded, betrayed. You have been my greatest teachers.”


“The great courageous act that we must all do, is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so that we can live our dreams.”


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


“In the mist of Difficulty lies Opportunity.”


“One of the hardest things in life to learn are which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn.”

“It makes no difference how many peaks you reach if there was no pleasure in the climb.”


“When people show you who they are … believe them!”


About Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American talk show presenter, television producer, actor, author, and philanthropist. She was born on January 29, 1954. She is best known for her Chicago-based talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated television show of its kind in history and aired in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. She was dubbed the “Queen of All Media” and was once the world’s only Black millionaire and the most outstanding Black philanthropist in the US history. By 2007, she was widely regarded as one of the most popular black females on the planet.

Winfrey is credited with popularizing and revolutionizing the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue. The National Women’s Hall of Fame inducted her in 1994. During her career, Winfrey has received numerous honors, including 18 Daytime Emmy Awards, the Chairman’s Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, Tony Award, Peabody Award, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and two additional Academy Award nominations. The American Academy of Art elected Winfrey as a member.

Oprah Winfrey’s motivational sayings can help you succeed in life, much like she has done for countless others.

Interesting Facts about Oprah Winfrey

Where was Oprah Winfrey born?

Kosciusko, Mississippi, United States

What is Oprah’s purpose in life?

She believes every one of us is born with a purpose. No matter who you are, what you do, or how far you think you have to go, you have been tapped by a force greater than yourself to step into your God-given calling. This goes far beyond what you do to earn your living.

What was the first job that Oprah Winfrey had?

As a youngster, Oprah’s first employment was at a neighborhood grocery shop. She was crowned Miss Black Tennessee at the age of 17. She also piqued the interest of WVOL, a local black radio station, which engaged her to handle the news part-time.

What are Oprah Winfrey’s 5 most intriguing facts?

Five most interesting facts about Oprah Winfrey are:

  • In 1972, Oprah was named Miss Black Tennessee. When her career took off, she quit competing in beauty pageants.
  • Oprah is well-known for her weight gain and reduction.
  • Her projected net worth in 2021 is $2.6 billion.
  • For 25 years, The Oprah Winfrey Show aired on television. On May 24, 2011, it screened its final episode.
  • She has had a dread of chewing gum since she was a child.

Who is Oprah’s role model?

Maya Angelou, a poet and civil rights activist, is perhaps Oprah’s most important role model. When Angelou died in 2014, Oprah wrote a heartfelt tribute to the inspirational leader. “Maya Angelou has been my mentor, mother/sister, and friend since I was in my twenties.”

Why is Oprah such an influential leader?

In the case of compassion, ethics, inspiration, and justice, Oprah is a one-of-a-kind leader. She has the potential to inspire others because she follows the rules and fights for what is right. Although she is unable to help and guide everyone, she makes every effort.

What charitable organizations does Oprah support?

The Angel Network, which has been highly advertised on her program; her own personal foundation, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation; and The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation, which only supports her Leadership Academy in South Africa, have all received a large percentage of her donations.