50 Best Quotes from What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey

What I know for sure is that pleasure is energy reciprocated: What you put out comes back.

What I learned for sure was that holding the shame was the greatest burden of all. When you have nothing to be ashamed of, when you know who you are and what you stand for, you stand in wisdom.

You are built not to shrink down to less but to blossom into more. To be more splendid. To be more extraordinary. To use every moment to fill yourself up.

The gift of deciding to face your mortality without turning away or flinching is the gift of recognizing that because you will die, you must live now.

If you’re holding anyone else accountable for your happiness, you’re wasting your time. You must be fearless enough to give yourself the love you didn’t receive.

We are all the artists of our own lives—and that we can use as many colors and brushstrokes as we like.

So when life gets difficult, I’ve found that the best thing to do is ask myself a simple question: What is this here to teach me?

I know for sure that all of our hurdles have meaning. And being open to learning from those challenges is the difference between succeeding and getting stuck.

What I know for sure is that there is no strength without challenge, adversity, resistance, and often pain.

When you can see obstacles for what they are, you never lose faith in the path it takes to get you where you want to go.

Who you’re meant to be evolves from where you are right now. So learning to appreciate your lessons, mistakes, and setbacks as stepping-stones to the future is a clear sign you’re moving in the right direction.

What I know for sure is that a lack of intimacy is not distance from someone else; it is disregard for yourself.

But now I know that a relationship built on real love feels good. It should bring you joy—not just some of the time but most of the time. It should never require losing your voice, your self-respect, or your dignity. And whether you’re 25 or 65, it should involve bringing all of who you are to the table—and walking away with even more.

To know that people care about how you’re doing when the doing isn’t so good—that’s what love is.

You, alone, make a whole person. And if you feel incomplete, you alone must fill all your empty, shattered spaces with love.

When you make loving others the story of your life, there’s never a final chapter, because the legacy continues.

You lend your light to one person, and he or she shines it on another and another and another.

Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It’s the quickest, easiest, most powerful way to effect change in your life.

Being grateful all the time isn’t easy. But it’s when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective.

Whatever you’re going through, you will do just that: go through it. It will pass. So say thank-you now. Because you know the rainbow is coming.

I believe everything that happens in our lives has meaning, that each experience brings a message, if we’re willing to hear it.

There is no need to struggle with your body when you can make a loving and grateful peace with it.

What you focus on expands. When you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it.

I know for sure that only by owning who and what you are can you step into the fullness of life.

The way to your best life isn’t denial. It’s owning every moment and staking a claim to the here and now.

The true meaning of courage is to be afraid, and then, with your knees knocking, to step out anyway.

The true measure of your courage is not whether you reach your goal—it’s whether you decide to get back on your feet no matter how many times you’ve failed.

Every time you suppress some part of yourself or allow others to play you small, you are ignoring the owner’s manual your Creator gave you.

Whatever you fear most has no power—it is your fear that has the power.

If you can get paid for doing what you love, every paycheck is a bonus.

The most important adventure of our lives doesn’t have to involve climbing the highest peak or trekking around the world. The biggest thrill you can ever achieve is to live the life of your dreams.

The more stressful and chaotic things are on the outside, the calmer you need to get on the inside. It’s the only way you can connect with where your spirit is leading you.

Dream big—very big. Work hard—very hard. And after you’ve done all you can, fully surrender to the Power.

The whole point of being alive is to become the person you were intended to be, to grow out of and into yourself again and again.

The truth is that as much as you plan and dream and move forward in your life, you must remember you are always acting in conjunction with the flow and energy of the universe.

Many people are so closed to miracles that even when one is boldly staring them in the face, they label it coincidence.

When you choose to see the world as a classroom, you understand that all experiences are here to teach you something about yourself.

Spirit to me is the essence of who we are. It doesn’t require any particular belief. It just is.

Nothing is more effective than a deep, slow inhale and release for surrendering what you can’t control and focusing again on what’s right in front of you.

You’re not your body, and for sure you’re not your body image.

Having the best things is no substitute for having the best life. When you can let go of the desire to acquire, you know you are really on your way.

Getting sucked into other people’s ego dysfunction that their darkness robs you of your own light—the light you need to be for yourself and for others.

If you want the best the world has to offer, offer the world your best.

The average life expectancy for an American woman is 80. That’s a prediction, not a promise. What you do today creates every tomorrow.

When your life is on course with its purpose, you are at your most powerful. And though you may stumble, you will not fall.

People suffer not because of what God does but because of what we do and do not do.

Reaching your potential as a person is more than an idea. It’s the ultimate goal.

Happiness is never something you get from other people. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you are able to give.

If you think something is missing in your life or you’re not getting what you deserve, remember that there’s no Yellow Brick Road. You lead life; it doesn’t lead you.

What I know for sure is that every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and step out and dance—to live free of regret and filled with as much joy, fun, and laughter as you can stand.