35 Inspirational quotes by Oprah Winfrey
Last updated on September 16th, 2022 at 10:54 am
From poverty to international fame: the real life of the most famous American television host looks like a fairy tale and it’s been inspiring thousands of women worldwide.
Oprah Winfrey was born in 1954 in Tennessee. Her parents separated soon after her birth and she was mainly raised by her grandparents in Mississippi. At that time, racism was still deep-rooted in American society and being a black girl was not easy. She was victim of sexual abuse at the age of 14, she got pregnant and her son died in infancy which left a deep mark on her life. She spent her teenage years in Nashville with her father and his new wife and she was so good at school that she got a scholarship to enter the Tennessee State University where she studied “Speech and Performing Arts”. After graduation, Oprah started working in some local radio and tv stations but the turning point in her career was a Chicago talk show she began to host during her 30s. Within a month, it started to lead the ratings and after a couple of years it was renamed “Oprah Winfrey Show” and it was broadcasted across the whole nation.
Oprah’s success is mainly due to her empathy and her ability to make people feel so at ease that they open up completely during the show. Oprah is not only the “Queen of All Media” (like she is often referred to in the US) but she’s also a businesswoman (she owns Oprah Magazine and Oprah Winfrey Network) and a philanthropist (she set-up The Angel Network, an association helping poor girls in South Africa). According to Forbes, she is the richest Afro-American woman of the 21st century so far.
From this amazing woman, we have shortlisted the most inspirational quotes by Oprah Winfrey for your reading pleasure:
Quotes by Oprah Winfrey
“I never think about what I want. It’s about what you want to give to other people”
– Oprah Winfrey, (The Money Adventure-1998. By Egbert Sukop, p. 128)
“What I learned at a very early age was that I was responsible for my life….You are your possibilities. If you know that, you can do anything.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (O Magazine-January 2007. Pages 160 & 217)
“What other people label or might try to call failure, I have learned is just God’s way of pointing you in a new direction.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (Oprah’s commencement speech at Howard University-12 May 2007)
“I believe that every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (Her Words: Our American Princess – 2008. By Tuchy Palmieri, p. 71)
“All the energy that you spend, trying to hurt somebody else, that energy will turn around and slap you in the face.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (Oprah Winfrey Show Finale in CBS-25 May 2011)
“I would say, we can’t allow ourselves to be frightened into not living our lives, and I think that we have to keep going and we have to keep going with the faith that thing will get better … And things will get better when we make them better.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (Interview on Entertainment Tonight, as quoted in “Oprah Winfrey Offers Words of Wisdom in Wake of Deadly Las Vegas Shooting”, KTVB-2 October 2017)
“The thing that I do best is Be Here. Be Now.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (CNN interview with Pierce Morgan-17 January 2011)
“Your life is not static. Every decision, setback, or triumph is an opportunity to identify the seeds of truth that make you the wondrous human being that you are.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose -2019. Pag 15)
“Nourish what makes you feel confident, connected, contented. Opportunity will rise to meet you.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose -2019. Pag 188)
“You can have it all. Just not all at once”
– OPRAH WINFREY,
Motivational Quotes by Oprah
“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”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (Lifeclass-2012)
“True forgiveness is when you can say, Thank you for that experience.”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“Everyone wants 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.”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (The Oprah Magazine-September 2002)
“I trust that everything happens for a reason, even if we are not wise enough to see it”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“Your true passion should feel like breathing; it’s that natural”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new centre of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“Think like a queen. A queen if not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness”
– OPRAH WINFREY
The most Amazing Quotes by Oprah
“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.”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. And that’s how I operate my life.”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“All these years I’ve been feeling like I was growing into myself. Finally, I feel grown.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (The Oprah Magazine-January 2004)
“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.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (The Oprah Magazine-June 2002)
“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 by maintaining focus.”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (The Oprah Magazine-July 2003)
“Your journey begins with a choice to get up, step out, and live fully”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (What I Know For Sure – 2014. By Oprah Winfrey)
“Turn your wounds into wisdom”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (Commencement Speech Wellesley College – 30 May 1997)
“Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“So go ahead. Fall down. The world looks different from the ground”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do”
– OPRAH WINFREY, (Oprah’s Twitter account – 8 June 2014)
“I trust that everything happens for a reason, even if we are not wise enough to see it”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“Self- esteem means knowing you are the dream”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“You don’t become what you want. You become what you believe”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are”
– OPRAH WINFREY
“Surround yourself with people who are going to lift you higher”
– OPRAH WINFREY
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