What I Know for Sure

by Oprah Winfrey

when you know something, really know something, it tends to stand the test of time.

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

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

“You wouldn’t do it for yourself, so we did it for you.”

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.

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

I call it the grazing feeling: You want something, but can’t figure out what it is.

when I couldn’t tell the difference between myself and a doormat.

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

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. Begin noticing how every day brings a new opportunity for your growth. How buried disagreements with your mother show up in arguments with your spouse. 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.

Read repeatedly

What I know for sure is that the only way to endure the quake is to adjust your stance.

Balance lives in the present. When you feel the earth moving, bring yourself back to the now. You’ll handle whatever shake-up the next moment brings when you get to it. In this moment, you’re still breathing. In this moment, you’ve survived. In this moment, you’re finding a way to step onto higher ground.

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper.”

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.

We all have stand-down moments that require us to stand up, in the center of ourselves, and know who we are. When

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.”

“Love is the essential existential fact. It is our ultimate reality and our purpose on earth.” —Marianne Williamson

Couldn't agree enough. And this includes self-love.

the yearning to feel heard, needed, and important is so strong in all of us that we seek that validation in whatever form we can get it.