What I Know For Sure

by Oprah Winfrey

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

What I know for sure is that pleasure is energy reciprocated: What you put out comes back. Your base level of pleasure is determined by how you view your whole life.

a God wink—when out of the blue everything lines up just perfectly.

Isn’t that something. I would have gone to the trouble for a friend but not for myself. For sure I need to practice what I preach and value myself more.

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

when I’d let some man use me, she’d often say, “He’s just chipping away at your spirit. One day I hope he chips deep enough for you to see who you really are—someone who deserves to be happy.”

What I know for sure is that Gayle is a friend I can count on. She has taught me the joy of having, and being, a true friend.

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.

There is one irrefutable law of the universe: We are each responsible for our own life.

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.

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.

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.

It would have been a revelation to understand that we are all the artists of our own lives—and that we can use as many colors and brushstrokes as we like.

One of my greatest lessons has been to fully understand that what looks like a dark patch in the quest for success is the universe pointing you in a new direction.

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 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.”

“Love is the essential existential fact.

we all want to feel like we matter to somebody.

Look inward—the loving begins with you.

I’ve always thought that communication is like a dance. One person takes a step forward, the other takes a step back.

I’ve always known that life is better when you share it. But I now realize it gets even sweeter when you expand the circle.

Let’s face it: Love’s a subject that’s been done and overdone, trivialized and dramatized to the point of mass delusion about what it is and isn’t.

Most of us can’t see it because we have our own preconceived ideas about what it is (it’s supposed to knock you off your feet and make you swoon) and how it should appear (in a tall, slim, witty, charming package). So if love doesn’t show up wrapped in our personal fantasy, we fail to recognize it.

I’ve seen so many women give themselves up for men who clearly didn’t give two hoots about them. I’ve seen so many women settle for crumbs. 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. I feel blessed to know this for sure.

And I know for sure that in the final analysis of our lives—when the to-do lists are no more, when the frenzy is finished, when our e-mail inboxes are empty—the only thing that will have any lasting value is whether we’ve loved others and whether they’ve loved us.

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘Thank you,’ it will be enough.” —Meister Eckhart

I know for sure: If you make time for a little gratitude every day, you’ll be amazed by the results.

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...

What shows up in its place is greater compassion and understanding. Instead of being frustrated, you choose appreciation. And the more grateful you bec...

Whatever you’re going through, you will do just ...

How every diet I had ever been on was because I wanted to fit into something—or just fit in.

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.

It doesn’t matter what the thing is; what matters is how much of yourself goes into the giving, so that when the gift is gone, the spirit of you lingers.

“It makes you sick to think that you’ve marked another year, that every worry, every strife, every challenge, every delight, every breath every day was leading to this moment, and now you made it and you’re celebrating it—with one little candle—and denying it at the same time?”

The Four Agreements. According to Don Miguel, “Ninety-five percent of the beliefs we have stored in our minds are nothing but lies, and we suffer because we believe all these lies.”

One of these lies that we believe and practice and reinforce is that getting older means getting uglier. We then judge ourselves and others, trying to hold on to the way we were.

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.

“Soar, eat ether, see what has never been seen; depart, be lost, but climb.”

Neale Donald Walsch says, “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.”

What I know for sure is this: 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.

That’s why, before I make any decision, I ask myself one critical question: What is my real intention?

what I know now for sure: If you can get paid for doing what you love, every paycheck is a bonus. Give yourself the bonus of a lifetime: Pursue your passion. Discover what you love. Then do it!

What I know for sure is this: 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.

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