What I Know For Sure

by Oprah Winfrey

When you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.

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. Whether you flounder or flourish is always in your hands—you are the single biggest influence in your life.

Your journey begins with a choice to get up, step out, and live fully.

We all get the opportunity to feel wonder every day, but we’ve been lulled into numbness.

Insight, information, knowledge, inspiration, power: All that and more can come through a good book. I

What I know for sure is that reading opens you up. It exposes you and gives you access to anything your mind can hold. What I love most about reading: It gives you the ability to reach higher ground. And keep climbing.

my number-one spiritual practice is trying to live in the present moment … to resist projecting into the future, or lamenting past mistakes … to feel the real power of now. That, my friends, is the secret to a joyful life.

It’s important to know when and how you were programmed, so you can change the program. And doing so is your responsibility, no one else’s. There is one irrefutable law of the universe: We are each responsible for our own life.

Pay attention. Every choice gives you a chance to pave your own road. Keep moving. Full speed ahead. Every challenge

What I know for sure is that the only way to endure the quake is to adjust your stance. You can’t avoid the daily tremors. They come with being alive. But I believe these experiences are gifts that force us to step to the right or left in search of a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Let them help you adjust your footing. Balance lives in the present. When you feel the earth moving, bring yourself back to the now.

In this moment, you’re still breathing. In this moment, you’ve survived.

When you have nothing to be ashamed of, when you know who you are and what you stand for, you stand in wisdom.

Whenever I’m faced with a difficult decision, I ask myself: What would I do if I weren’t afraid of making a mistake, feeling rejected, looking foolish, or being alone? I know for sure that when you remove the fear, the answer you’ve been searching for comes into focus. And as you walk into what you fear, you should know for sure that your deepest struggle can, if you’re willing and open, produce your greatest strength.

No matter what challenge you may be facing, you must remember that while the canvas of your life is painted with daily experiences, behaviors, reactions, and emotions, you’re the one controlling the brush. If I had known this at 21, I could have saved myself a lot of heartache and self-doubt. It would have been a revelation to understand that we are all the artists of our own lives—and that we can use

So when I feel overwhelmed, I usually go to a quiet place. A bathroom stall works wonders. I close my eyes, turn inward, and breathe until I can sense the still, small space inside me that is the same as the stillness in you, and in the trees, and in all things. I breathe until I can feel this space expand and fill me. And I always end up doing the exact opposite of screaming: I smile at the wonder of it all.

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.

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. During difficult times I often turn to a gospel song called “Stand.”

The problems that make you want to throw up your hands and holler “Mercy!” will build your tenacity, courage, discipline, and determination. I’ve

The Creator has given you full responsibility for your life, and with that responsibility comes an amazing privilege—the power to give yourself the love, affection, and intimacy you may not have received as a child.

You are the one best mother, father, sister, friend, cousin, and lover you will ever have.

In times of crisis, I’ve always marveled at the way people reach out with words of encouragement. I’ve had moments of real devastation in my life—we all have—but I’ve been sustained by the grace and love of friends who have asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?” not knowing that they already have, just by asking.

“I surrender all. I surrender all. All to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”

To know that people care about how you’re doing when the doing isn’t so good—that’s what love is. I feel blessed to know this for sure.

know for sure that appreciating whatever shows up for you in life changes your whole world.

You radiate and generate more goodness for yourself when you’re aware of all you have and not focusing on your have-nots. I know for sure: If you make time for a little gratitude every day, you’ll be amazed by the results.

because your faith is so strong that you don’t doubt that whatever the problem, you’ll get through it. You’re saying thank-you because you know that even in the eye of the storm, God has put a rainbow in the clouds. You’re saying thank-you because you know there’s no problem created that can compare to the Creator of all things. Say thank-you!” So I did—and still do.

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. 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—this I know for sure.

Here’s the gift of gratitude: In order to feel it, your ego has to take a backseat. What shows up in its place is greater compassion and understanding. Instead of being frustrated, you choose appreciation. And the more...

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

What I know for sure: There is no need to struggle with your body when you can make a loving and grateful peace with it.

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

In the best of times and worst of times, I know for sure, this life is a gift. And I believe that no matter where we live or how we look or what we do for a living, when it comes to what really matters—what makes us laugh and cry, grieve and yearn, delight and rejoice—we share the same heart space. We just fill it with different things.

true meaning of courage is to be afraid, and then, with your knees knocking, to step out anyway. Making a bold move is the only way to advance toward the grandest vision the universe has for you. If you allow it, fear will completely immobilize you. And once it has you in its grip, it will fight to keep you from ever becoming your best self.

Whatever you fear most has no power—it is your fear that has the power. The thing itself cannot touch you. But your fear can rob you of your life. Each time you give in to it, you lose strength, while your fear gains it. That’s why you must decide that no matter how difficult the path ahead seems, you will push past your anxiety and keep on stepping.

you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.

“So long as you’re still worried about what others think of you, you are owned by them. Only when you require no approval from outside yourself can you own yourself.”

I know it’s not easy, but I also know for sure that having the courage to stand up and pursue your wildest dreams will give you life’s richest reward and life’s greatest adventure. And what’s really wild? Right now, no matter where you are, you are a single choice away from a new beginning.

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.

What I know for sure is that whatever your situation is right now, you have played a major role in creating it. With every experience, you build your life, thought by thought, choice by choice. And beneath each of those thoughts and choices lies your deepest intention. That’s why, before I make any decision, I ask myself one critical question: What is my real intention?

I’ve learned that 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.

If life teaches you nothing else, know this: When you get the chance, go for it.

If you peel back the layers of your life—the frenzy, the noise—stillness is waiting. That stillness is you.

know for sure that every day holds within it the possibility of seeing the world with wonder. The older I get, the less tolerance I have for pettiness and superficial pursuits.

There’s a wealth that has nothing to do with dollars, that comes from the perspective and wisdom of paying attention to your life. It has everything to teach you. And what I know for sure is that the joy of learning well is the greatest reward.

It is an awesome gift to be alive on this beautiful planet. And I want my time here to be as bright as it can be.

Spirituality can be something as ordinary—and extraordinary—as giving your full-force, hundred-percent attention to another person, without thinking about what else you need to be doing right then. Or making an effort to do something good for someone. Or starting your day with a full moment of silence. Or waking up to literally smell the coffee, “tasting” its aroma through your senses, making every sip sheer pleasure, and when it’s no longer sheer pleasure, putting it aside.

I try to give myself a healthy dose of quiet time at least once—and when I’m on point, twice—a day. Twenty minutes in the morning, twenty in the evening. It helps me sleep better and focus deeper; it boosts my productivity and fuels my creativity. Try it yourself and I think you’ll agree that Glinda the Good Witch was right: “You’ve always had the power.” You just have to be still to find it. And when you do, you’re on the way to finding the fullest expression of you.

stop and take a look at your own needs. Go mindless. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.

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.

What I know for sure: 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.