Words That Matter Quotes

“The definition of a friend is someone who’s coming in the door when everybody else is going out.” —Phil McGraw, psychologist”
― O: The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“You teach people how to treat you.” —Phil McGraw, psychologist”
― O: The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“Having a mate is like holding a mirror up to yourself. You see both how good you look and how much emotional surgery is required. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. The fairy-tale notion of happily-ever-after that we’ve all bought into is indeed a tale and nothing like real love.” —Oprah”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“People should not judge failed love affairs as failed experiences but as part of the growth process. Something does not have to end well for it to have been one of the most valuable experiences of a lifetime.” —Ethel Person, medical doctor and psychoanalyst”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“He has achieved success, who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.” —Bessie A. Stanley, poet”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“The moment we begin tolerating meanness, in ourselves and others, we are using our authorial power in the service of wrongdoing. We have both the capacity and the obligation to do better.” —Martha Beck, life coach”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“It takes something to get married: nerve, hope, a strong desire to make a certain statement—and it takes something to stay married: more hope, determination, a sense of humor, and needs that are best met by being in a pair.” —Amy Bloom, writer”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant…You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.” —John Lennon, singer”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“Love yourself and then learn to extend that love to others in every encounter.” —Oprah”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“It’s simple: When you haven’t forgiven those who’ve hurt you, you turn your back against your future. When you do forgive, you start walking forward.” —Tyler Perry, director”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“I know it’s said you should love yourself before you can be in a relationship, but hell, I did it backward.” —Jennifer Aniston, actress”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“To know that people care about how you’re doing when the doings aren’t so good—that’s what love is.” —Oprah”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“Surviving is unrelenting perseverance that brings us back to where we were before our crisis. Thriving is a kind of superresilience that goes far beyond recovery. Thrivers know when it’s time to disengage from a challenge and set new goals. Sometimes creative surrender is a better policy than perseverance.” —Paul Pearsall, psychologist”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“I believe that if you’ll just stand up and go, life will open up for you.”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“Before opening your mouth, ask yourself two questions: What do I really want? Is what I’m about to say or do right now going to get me closer to what I want?” —Terrence Real, relationship coach”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“I have never encountered a successful person who didn’t have to sacrifice in one area of life in order to be successful in another…If you have tons of resources in the monetary account but zero balances in the emotional, family, physical, and spiritual accounts, that spells a bankrupt life.” —Phil McGraw, psychologist”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“I like to dream big! Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom—and to the children of Africa, education is everything. So it’s with tremendous pleasure that I introduce you to my dreams come true: the girls who will grow up to be the women who will be the leaders of tomorrow.” —Oprah”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“If life doesn’t offer you a game worth playing, then invent a new one.” —Anthony J. D’Angelo, author”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“There is a strength and spirit in Americans that is rare and unparalleled anywhere in the world. We have a resilience that most people don’t have, and trials bring out the best in us.” —Madeleine Albright, former U.S. secretary of state”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“There are no secrets to success. It is a result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” —Colin Powell, former U.S. secretary of state”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” —Booker T. Washington, political leader and author”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“Change is the only constant; hanging on is the only sin.” —Denise McCluggage, race car driver”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“It’s only when we truly know that we have a limited time on earth—and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up—that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it [were] the only one we had.” —Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, psychiatrist”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“Courage means doing the impossible within the possible.” —Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“As much as you plan and dream and move forward in your life, you must remember that you are always acting in conjunction with the flow and energy of the universe. You move in the direction of your goal with all the force and verve you can muster—and then let go, releasing your plan to the power that’s bigger than yourself…Dream big—dream very big. Work hard—work very hard. And after you’ve done all you can, you stand, wait, and fully surrender.” —Oprah”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“I think we’re shaped by failure at least as much as we’re shaped by our successes. When I have guests on a show, I like to talk to them about their failures—not to show them up, but because that’s part of what defines us. Sometimes it’s not the cheery, upbeat lessons that really explain how a person got to be where they are. It’s the things they tried to do and couldn’t do. The things they’re still struggling to do.” —Terry Gross, radio program host”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“What would happen if we declared our home, our relationships, our lives a gossip-free zone? We’d probably be surprised at how much time we’d free up to do the work that’s most significant—building our dreams rather than tearing down others’.” —Oprah”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” —Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” —Rosa Parks, civil rights pioneer”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons

“To be fully human is…to know that it’s possible to face the unimaginable and somehow put one foot in front of the other.”
― O, The Oprah Magazine, Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons