What I Know for Sure

by Oprah Winfrey

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

It doesn’t take a lot to make me happy because I find satisfaction in so much of what I do.

What you put out comes back. Your base level of pleasure is determined by how you view your whole life.

know for sure that I don’t want to live a shut-down life—desensitized to feeling and seeing. I want every day to be a fresh start on expanding what is possible. On experiencing joy on every level.

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

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.

How unconscious feelings of unworthiness appear in everything you do (and don’t do). All these experiences are your life’s way of urging you to leave the past behind and make yourself whole. Pay attention. Every choice gives you a chance to pave your own road. Keep moving. Full speed ahead.

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.

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.

The great connection I feel with everyone I speak to stems from being aware that we are all on the same path, all of us wanting the same things: love, joy, and acknowledgment.

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.

Wherever you are in your journey, I hope you, too, will keep encountering challenges. It is a blessing to be able to survive them, to be able to keep putting one foot in front of the other—to be in a position to make the climb up life’s mountain, knowing that the summit still lies ahead. And every experience is a valuable teacher.

Because this I know for sure: 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 there is no strength without challenge, adversity, resistance, and often pain.

Sometimes we get so focused on the difficulty of our climb that we lose sight of being grateful for simply having a mountain to climb.

Instead of being frustrated, you choose appreciation.

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

And what if you decided right now that you will stop letting fear block you?

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.

Everything you do and say shows the world who you are. Let it be the truth.

I know for sure that every day holds within it the possibility of seeing the world with wonder.

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.

What I know for sure: The light in your life comes in, one conscious breath at a time. Breathe easy.

Spirituality for me is recognizing that I am connected to the energy of all creation, that I am a part of it—and it is always a part of me.

Spirituality is not religion. You can be spiritual and not have a religious context. The opposite is true, too: You can be very religious with no spiritual dimension, just doctrine.

Spirituality isn’t something I believe in. It is what and who I am. Knowing this has made all the difference. It allows me to live fearlessly. And to make manifest the purpose of my creation.

to recognize that you’re more than your body...

You then realize that you don’t live your life, but life lives you.

Our struggle with and resistance to what is entangles us in constant chaos and frustration—when it’s all so simple.

Newton’s third law of motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The energy you create and release into the world will be reciprocated on all levels.

When I accepted that I was a decent, kind, and giving person—whether I said yes or no—I no longer had anything to prove.

The most essential benefit is more energy; weight control is a bonus. I know for sure that taking care of your body, no matter what, is an investment, and the return is priceless.

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

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

To own the abundant life that’s waiting for you, you’ve got to be willing to do the real work. Not your job. Not your career profile. But heeding your spirit, which is whispering its greatest desires for you. You’ve got to get silent sometimes to hear it. And check in regularly. You must feed your mind with thoughts and ideas that open you to new possibilities.

What I now know for sure is that for me weight is a spiritual issue, not a food issue.

For most of us who overeat, extra pounds correspond to unresolved anxieties, frustrations, and depressions, which all come down to fear we haven’t worked through. We submerge the fear in food instead of feeling it and dealing with it. We repress it all with offerings from the fridge.

is why, when people say they’re looking for happiness, I ask, “What are you giving to the world?”

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.