Oprah Winfrey

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.

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. 

Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.

Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.

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

Devote today to something so daring even you can’t believe you’re doing it

Don’t back down just to keep the peace. Standing up for your beliefs builds self-confidence and self-esteem.

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.

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

Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together. 

Every time you state what you want or believe, you're the first to hear it. It's a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don't put a ceiling on yourself.

Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. 

Follow your instincts. That's where true wisdom manifests itself.

For everyone of us that succeeds, it's because there's somebody there to show you the way out. The light doesn't always necessarily have to be in your family; for me it was teachers and school. 

I always knew I was destined for greatness. 

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.

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

I don't believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process.

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. 

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. 

I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. 

I’ve learned not to worry about what might come next.

I've learned that you can't have everything and do everything at the same time.

I knew there was a way out. I knew there was another kind of life because I had read about it. I knew there were other places, and there was another way of being. 

I know for sure that what we dwell on is who we become.

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

I trust that everything happens for a reason, even when we're not wise enough to see it.

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

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. 

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

If you neglect to recharge a battery, it dies. And if you run full speed ahead without stopping for water, you lose momentum to finish the race.

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

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

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.

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. 

It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn - which is what life is all about.

Living in the moment brings you a sense of reverence for all of life's blessings.

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. 

Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. 

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

My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you I 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 big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work

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

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

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.

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

Think about any attachments that are depleting your emotional reserves. Consider letting them go.

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

Turn your wounds into wisdom.

Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility.

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

We are each responsible for our own life - no other person is or even can be.

We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are. 

We create stress for ourselves because you feel like you have to do it. You have to. I don't feel that anymore.

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

What I know for sure is that what you give comes back to you.

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

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.

What we're all striving for is authenticity, a spirit-to-spirit connection.

When I look into the future, it's so bright it burns my eyes.

Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.

With every experience, you alone are painting your own canvas, thought by thought, choice by choice.

You are what you are by what you believe!

You can have it all. You just can't have it all at once.

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.

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

Your mistake does not define who you are...you are your possibilities