The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose

by Oprah Winfrey

They have discovered that in this world, there is no real doing without first being.

Committing to a life of purpose takes courage.

All of us have a limited number of years here on earth. What do you want to do with yours?

How do you want to spend your precious, ever-unfolding future? There’s no need to waste another day wondering if there’s more to life. There is. And it’s yours for the finding. When you’re ready.

That day, my “job” ended and my calling began.

Your life is not static. Every decision, setback, or triumph is an opportunity to identify the seeds

of truth that make you the wondrous human being that you are.

When you pay attention to what feeds your energy, you move in the direction of the life f...

the first question to ask yourself is, What do I believe?

Do you believe that you are worthy of happiness, success, abundance, fulfillment,

peace, joy, and love? What I know for sure is you become...

I think life is a process. You wake up. Then you wake up some more. One self dies. Another is born. It’s an evolution of consciousness. If you look at the way God created the world, it’s always about a seed and a sprout and a flower. And then it goes back to seed. It’s always about process and unfolding. We’re on a journey of greater and greater consciousness, becoming more compassionate, more loving, and that is a lifelong spiraling process.

You are a mighty person in the making. You are a miracle in motion. Motion is movement. We’re not there yet. But we’re in motion. At all times, we are all going through recovery and discovery. Some people stop their lives because they are in recovery. But you should be in recovery and discovery at the same time.

Becoming conscious means to recognize when that moment arrives. And it’s coming and it’s coming and it’s coming.

you’re allowed to turn that on yourself and honor your own life that you were given.

What have I come here to do with my life? That’s the question that begins every single quest.

If we can get the clutter out of our mind, if we can get the guilt out of our mind, if we can get the shame out of our mind, if we can get the worry out of our mind, if we can get the busyness out of our mind, then all of a sudden we’re going to have ideas which are seeds. And the seed of an idea gets planted firmly in your mind when you believe in yourself and you believe in your potential.

In every seed is the promise of thousands of forests.

Focus on the gifts. Don’t focus on the weaknesses, because there are other people who will complement your weaknesses, and you will complement theirs.

You recognize the gift when you’re expressing yourself in that unique way, giving out your gifts,...

I don’t believe in coincidence. I know there is a divine order to the magnificent mystery of our lives.

luck really means preparation meeting the moment of opportunity.

listen, trust, and obey the call.

What an unbelievable world we would live in if everyone were doing exactly what they were created to do.

when you align your personality with your purpose, no one can touch you.

sleepwalking through your life—is an invitation to chaos.

Life is about growth and change, and when you are no longer doing either, you’ve received your first whisper.

Pay attention to what makes you feel energized, connected, and stimulated. Follow your intuition, do what you love, and you will do more than succeed. You will soar.

And it was in that silence that I realized there are a lot of things that I’ve been running from, that I’ve been hiding from, and I’ve been using busyness sort of as a defense, as a barrier against facing, Where are these feelings coming from? What are they about? What will it look like to heal them and bring them out into the light?

for me, my exhausted self is my worst self.

it’s a gift. It’s a wake-up call.

We have an intuitive voice in us. We are born intuitive. We are so intuitive that for most people, it’s the source of their greatest suffering. Because people hear when they’ve betrayed themselves. People are very much aware when they are not honest with themselves.

CAROLINE: That’s it. You got to give it your all. Give it your best. OPRAH: And then not be attached to the outcome. CAROLINE: Totally. You got it.

It is almost like a wound within us when we get disconnected from the truth of our being.

Somehow there’s always forward.

I have a lot of things to prove to myself. One is that I can live my life fearlessly.

“The more important an activity is to your soul’s evolution, the more resistance you will feel to it.”

like the yin and yang—you can’t have the dream without the shadow.

doubt, fear, and worry stem not only from the voices inside you; resistance can also come from those who love you most.

The true meaning of courage is to be afraid—and then, with your knees knocking and your heart racing, take the leap anyway. Ready. Set. Go.

“When you live in trust and faith, truly live it; what everyone else says and does becomes irrelevant.”

There’s a shift that takes place when you’re talking about the possibilities more than you’re talking about your issues.

What if all the bad things that have happened in my life are leading me to activating some great potential in my experience?

I think that there are a couple of core shadow beliefs. I’m not good enough. I’m unlovable. Another form of I’m not good enough is I’m unworthy.

And if you can’t allow the dark to exist, then you can’t allow the light.

Oh, they’re not demons. They’re not monsters. They’re not dragons. I’ve been making them more grandiose than they are. They’re just the orphaned parts of me. They’re just the fearful-est, most terrified parts of me. They are scared to death. And they are throwing temper tantrums because of their fear. And now I have to tell them that it’s going to be okay.

You’re safe. I love you. I’m not leaving you. You’re part of me.

I love all of you. I have space for all of you. And together, we’re just going to go forward now.

there is a palpable craving for meaning and authenticity.

that intention was aligned from my heart to my head.