“During difficult times I often turn to a gospel song called “Stand.” In it, songwriter Donnie McClurkin sings, “What do you do when you’ve done all you can, and it seems like it’s never enough? What do you give when you’ve given your all, and it seems like you can’t make it through?” The answer lies in McClurkin’s simple refrain: “You just stand.” That’s where strength comes from—our ability to face resistance and walk through it. It’s not that people who persevere don’t ever feel doubt, fear, and exhaustion. They do. But in the toughest moments, we can have faith that if we take just one step more than we feel we’re capable of, if we draw on the incredible resolve every human being possesses, we’ll learn some of the most profound lessons life has to offer. What I know for sure is that there is no strength without challenge, adversity, resistance, and often pain. The problems that make you want to throw up your hands and holler “Mercy!” will build your tenacity, courage, discipline, and determination.”
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Oprah Winfrey
“I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself.”
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Oprah Winfrey
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. / Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”
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Oprah Winfrey
“"The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams."
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Oprah Winfrey
“Love is the essential existential fact. It is our ultimate reality and our purpose on earth.”
―
Oprah Winfrey
“My approach to living with purpose has always been to create the life I want,
one conscious decision at a time.”
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Oprah Winfrey
“I am grateful for the blessings of wealth, but it hasn't changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I'm just wearing better shoes.”
―
Oprah Winfrey
“I don’t have any limitations on what I think I could do or be.”
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Oprah Winfrey
“Surround yourself only with people who are going to take you higher.”
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Oprah Winfrey
“What I find powerful is a person with
the confidence to be her own self.”
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Oprah Winfrey
“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.”
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Oprah Winfrey
“For sure we live in a youth-obsessed culture that is constantly trying to tell us that if we’re not young and glowing and “hot,” we don’t matter. But I refuse to buy into such a distorted view of reality. And I would never lie about or deny my age. To do so is to contribute to a sickness pervading our society—the sickness of wanting to be what you’re not. I know for sure that only by owning who and what you are can you step into the fullness of life. I feel sorry for anyone who buys into the myth that you can be what you once were. The way to your best life isn’t denial. It’s owning every moment and staking a claim to the here and now. You’re not the same woman you were a decade ago; if you’re lucky, you’re not the same woman you were last year. The whole point of aging, as I see it, is change. If we let them, our experiences can keep teaching us about ourselves. I celebrate that. Honor it. Hold it in reverence. And I’m grateful for every age I’m blessed to become.”
―
Oprah Winfrey
“The struggle of my life created empathy - I could relate to pain, being abandoned, having people not love me.”
―
Oprah Winfrey
“Every one of us gets through the tough times because somebody is there, standing in the gap to close it for us.”
―
Oprah Winfrey
“I believe luck is preparation meeting opportunity. If you hadn’t been prepared when the opportunity came along, you wouldn’t have been lucky.”
―
Oprah Winfrey
