Oprah Winfrey
American talk show host, actress, producer, and author (born 1954)
Oprah Gail Winfrey (born 29 January 1954) is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist.
Quotes
edit1996–1998
edit- I've been stopped cold from eating another burger!
- Reacting to guest Howard Lyman's belief that American cattle are at risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow disease"), "Dangerous Food", The Oprah Winfrey Show (April 11, 1996)
- My reaction is that free speech not only lives, it rocks!
- On being acquitted of violating Texas' food libel laws in Texas Beef Group v. Winfrey over her "Dangerous Food" episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show (April 11, 1996), as quoted in "Oprah: 'Free speech rocks' " in CNN (February 26, 1998)
- I will continue to use my voice. I believed from the beginning that [the lawsuit] was an attempt to muzzle my voice, and I come from a people who have struggled and died in order to have a voice in this country. And I refused to be muzzled.
- "Oprah: 'Free speech rocks' " in CNN (February 26, 1998)
- I'm still off hamburgers.
- "Oprah: 'Free speech rocks' " in CNN (February 26, 1998)
- I never think about what I want. It's about what you want to give to other people.
- As quoted in The Money Adventure (1998) by Egbert Sukop, p. 128
2005–2008
edit- It felt like a new day.
- After Barack Obama's 2004 speech at the Democratic convention, as quoted in "Man of the Moment" at Oprah.com (January 19, 2005)
- I understand why people think we're gay. There isn't a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it – how can you be this close without it being sexual?
- About her friend Gayle King, in "Oprah: Gayle and I Are Not Gay" in People (July 16, 2006)
- What I learned at a very early age was that I was responsible for my life. And as I became more spiritually conscious, I learned that we all are responsible for ourselves, that you create your own reality by the way you think and therefore act. You cannot blame apartheid, your parents, your circumstances, because you are not your circumstances. You are your possibilities. If you know that, you can do anything.
- O Magazine (January 2007), pp. 160, 217
- I think that, uh, you know, I'm really happy that the message, or at least some of the message of The Secret is reaching mass consciousness in a way that people realize that they can begin to, uh, positively affect their lives. That's why when I was on the show and said "I've lived this way my whole life", and people who watched our show for years know that I've been talking about how you take responsibility for your life and the choices that you make. Empower your life. And so, when I say that, you know, um, that's how I live my life, the message of The Secret, that's what I mean. I also believe, that, uh, medical healing or healing comes in lots of forms. You know that adage about the guy being lost and God sent him a boat and God sent him — then he gets to heaven and says "Why didn't you help me?" And God's, "I sent you the boat, fool!" So, that's the way I look at medical healing.
- To Kim Tinkham, who wrote Oprah that she watched her show about The Secret, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and decided to heal herself instead of a mastectomy and chemotherapy that four doctors told her she urgently needed, on The Oprah Winfrey Show (March 2007) · YouTube video
- What other people label or might try to call failure, I have learned is just God's way of pointing you in a new direction.
- I believe that every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear.
- As quoted in Oprah, in Her Words : Our American Princess (2008) by Tuchy Palmieri, p. 71
- You want motivation? You still don't understand what our children are up against? Let me read you something that was posted on our message boards from someone who claims to be a member of a known pedophile network. He said this: he doesn't forgive, he does not forget, his group has over nine thousand penises and they're all raping children. So, I want you to know: they're organized, and they have systematic ways of hurting children and they use the internet to do it. These are the predators that are molesting and raping our children. They're trading the photos and videos online, and I want to stress again: this is not about politics, it's about giving the dedicated men and women of law enforcement who are trying to catch these predators the resources they need.
- 2008, in Oprah Winfrey Show
2011–2019
edit- All the energy that you spend, trying to hurt somebody else, that energy will turn around and slap you in the face. The same thing is true, Love, what I know is that the energy that put out everyday with the best of intentions that it would reach you where you really live in heart of yourself has come back to me from all of you in full force. So that what we've learnt on this show; You are responsible for your life and when you get that, everything changes, my friends. So don't wait for somebody else to fix you, to save you or complete you...
- "Oprah Winfrey Show Finale" in CBS (May 25, 2011)
- People often ask me: "What is the secret to the success of the show?" "How it lasted 25 years?" I none jokingly say: "My team and Jesus", because nothing but the Hand of God has made this possible for me. For all of you who get railed up when I mentioned God and you wanna know which God am I talking about, I am talking about the same one you talk about, I am talking about the Alpha and Omega, the Omniscience, the Unprecedented, the Ultimate Consciousness, the Source, the Force, the all of everything that is, The One and Only G-O-D, that's what I am talking about...
- "Oprah Winfrey Show Finale" in CBS (May 25, 2011)
- Well, I don't call you an atheist then. I think if you believe in the awe and the wonder and the mystery, then that is what God is. That is what God is, not the bearded guy in the sky.
- Super Soul Sunday, OWN, 13 October 2013, quoted in David Niose (15 October 2013), "Why Oprah's Anti-Atheist Bias Hurts So Much", Psychology Today
- in response to endurance swimmer Diana Nyad saying she can "weep with the beauty of this universe and be moved by all of humanity".
- I feel like my soul is aching for the country. … There's not a day that goes by where I'm not putting on my shoes, or brushing my teeth, where I just think about the ordinariness of, people who just went to a concert, or the ordinariness of the day from people from 9/11, who were just doing an ordinary thing, and then you never get home. … So, I would say that these days of crisis and tragedy are to remind us all to be present in the ordinariness of our lives, that actually turns out to be extraordinary, when the person you love doesn't come home at night.
I pay attention to things, you know? … This is to make us all more awakened about our own life, and the fact that it shows up this way is a horror. But, as I heard someone say, seeing people coming together, helping each other — whether it's this crisis we're in or what we saw weeks ago in, in Houston, in Florida, and now in Puerto Rico — it shows the humanity of us all. So, it's an opportunity to show the best of ourselves, when the worst shows up.
- I would say, we can't allow ourselves to be frightened into not living our lives, and I think that we have to keep going and we have to keep going with the faith that thing will get better … And things will get better when we make them better.
- Interview on Entertainment Tonight, as quoted in "Oprah Winfrey Offers Words of Wisdom in Wake of Deadly Las Vegas Shooting", KTVB (October 2, 2017)
- I had a lot of wealthy men calling, telling me that they would run my campaign and raise $1 billion for me. I am actually humbled by the fact that people think that I could be a leader of the free world, but it's just not in my spirit. . . it's not in my DNA
- In a 2018 60 Minutes Overtime interview according to Oprah Winfrey reportedly considered running for president with Mitt Romney (October 16, 2023)
CNN interview (2011)
edit- Interview with Piers Morgan (January 17, 2011)
- I know where my lane is, and I know how to stay in my lane. My lane is evolving the consciousness of people.
- The thing that I do best is "Be Here. Be Now".
- Turn your wounds into wisdom.
- OWN Network on "Oprah Winfrey Show"
- Trust your heart, and success will come to you.
- OWN Network on "Oprah Winfrey Show"
- Surround yourself with people only who are going to take you higher
- OWN Network on "Oprah Winfrey Show"
The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose (2019)
edit- The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life's Direction and Purpose, New York: Flatiron Books (March 26, 2019)
- 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. I'm not talking just about what you do for a living. When you pay attention to what feeds your energy, you move in the direction of the life for which you were intended. Trust that the Universe has a bigger, wider, deeper dream for you than you could ever imagine for yourself.
- p. 15
- Growing up in the church, one of my favorite Bible parables was about the mustard seed: If you have faith, even if it's as little as a mustard seed, you can move mountains. Anything is possible. As a child, listening from my seat in church, this brought me so much comfort- just as it did when I was struggling as a reporter in Baltimore and as it still does today.
- p. 15
- As you begin to identify the seeds of knowing along your own path, 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 what you believe.
- p. 16
- Nourish what makes you feel confident, connected, contented. Opportunity will rise to meet you.
- p. 188
- Years ago, I interviewed a grieving mother whose adult son had died after a long illness. You could have heard a pin drop in the studio when she so beautifully told the story of their final moment together. The mother had climbed into bed with her son. She could barely hear him, but her head was on his chest. As he took his last breath, he whispered, "Oh Mom, it is all so simple. It's so simple, Mom." He then closed his eyes and died. I got chills when I heard that. I realized then, just as it resonates with me now: We allow life to get so complicated- when it's really so very simple. From that day forward I resolved to continually ask myself, How am I making things more difficult than they need to be? Your answer to that same question is the next step in your path. It's that simple. Imagine what lies just around the bend. Can you see it? I can. Love, Oprah.
- p. 189
Colorado College Commencement Speech (May 20, 2019)
edit- "Here are Oprah’s best words of wisdom from her Colorado College commencement speech", Fast Company (May 20, 2019)
- [Contradicting an assertion from Angela Davis] Small steps lead to big accomplishments.
- [E]verything is always working out for you.
- [Winfrey attributes this aphorism to Jeff Weiner, founder of Linkedin] Failure is what’s going to humble you.
- [Attributed to a friend's Buddhist teacher] Be yourself–but be all of you.
2022
edit- [At the beginning of the midterm campaigns,] I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania, but I will tell you all this — if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would've already cast my vote for John Fetterman, for many reasons
- Oprah rejects her protégé Dr. Oz and backs Democrat John Fetterman in Pa. senate race (November 4, 20222:39 PM ET ASHLEY AHN)
2024
editSpeech to the 2024 Democratic National Convention (21 August 2024)
edit- I am so honored to have been asked to speak on tonight’s theme about what matters most to me, to you, and all of us Americans: freedom. There are people who want you to see our country as a nation of "us against them". People who want to scare you, who want to rule you. People who’d have you believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe, that there’s a right way to worship and a wrong way to love. People who seek first to divide and then to conquer. But here’s the thing: when we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us.
- America is an ongoing project. It requires commitment, it requires being open to the hard work and the heart work of democracy. And every now and then, it requires standing up to life’s bullies.
I know this. I’ve lived in Mississippi, in Tennessee, in Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, California, and sweet home Chicago, Illinois. I have actually traveled this country from the redwood forest — love those redwoods — to the Gulf Stream waters. I’ve seen racism and sexism and income inequality and division. I’ve not only seen it; at times, I’ve been on the receiving end of it.
But more often than not, what I’ve witnessed and experienced are human beings, both conservative and liberal, who may not agree with each other, but who would still help you in a heartbeat if you were in trouble. These are the people who make me proud to say that I am an American. They are the best of America.
- And despite what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out too.
’cause we are a country of people who work hard for the money. We wish our brothers and sisters well, and we pray for peace. We know all the old tricks and tropes that are designed to distract us from what actually matters, but we are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery. These are complicated times, people, and they require adult conversation. And I welcome those conversations because civilized debate is vital to democracy, and it is the best of America.
- This election isn’t about "us and them". It’s about you and me and what we want our futures to look like. There are choices to be made when we cast our ballot. Now, there’s a certain candidate that says, if we just go to the polls this one time, then we’ll never have to do it again. Well, you know what? You’re looking at a registered independent who’s proud to vote again and again and again. Because I’m an American, and that’s what Americans do.
Voting is the best of America. And I have always, since I was eligible to vote, I’ve always voted my values. And that is what is needed in this election, now more than ever. So I’m calling on all you independents and all you undecideds. You know this is true. You know I’m telling you the truth: that values and character matter most of all, in leadership and in life. And more than anything — you know this is true — that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024.
And just plain common sense.
- We are Americans. Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to any individual, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose optimism over cynicism, because that’s the best of America. And let us choose inclusion over retribution. Let us choose common sense over nonsense, because that’s the best of America.
And let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday. We won’t go back. We won’t be sent back, pushed back, bullied back, kicked back. We’re not going back.
So, let us choose. Let us choose truth, let us choose honor, and let us choose joy! Because that’s the best of America. But more than anything else, let us choose freedom. Why? Because that’s the best of America. We’re all Americans, and together, let’s all choose Kamala Harris!
Quotes about Winfrey
edit- She actually is somebody who has the ability to move mountains and change minds.
- CNN correspondent Dana Bash, as quoted in "On Reliable Sources, Cullum claimed questions about where Obama's "religion lies, where his loyalty lies" could "backfire on Oprah"", Media Matters for America, 3 December 2007, retrieved on February 23, 2011
- Oprah is different. Oprah has an army out there that really listens. She's one of the great marketing machines in history.
- So far, I don't see anything negative on this woman. I think she's a real icon. She's much more complex and complicated than just a talk show host. Maya Angelou has said she sees her as a true missionary. Everybody has a different take on Oprah.
- Kitty Kelly, in "From 'Jackie Oh!' to Oprah: Tell-All Queen Expands Her Empire" The Washington Post (December 14, 2006)
- Most great instigators of social change have intimate personal knowledge of trauma. Oprah Winfrey comes to mind, as do Maya Angelou, Nelson Mandela, and Elie Wiesel. Read the life history of any visionary, and you will find insights and passions that came from having dealt with devastation.
- Bessel van der Kolk The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2014)
- She's — her great strength, if anybody watches the show — and I think everybody does in Iowa; it's the number one show in Iowa — she's instructive. She's empowering. Every time you watch an Oprah broadcast, at the end of it, you know more than you started and you feel stronger. That's her strength.
- We had a few high-profile moments of our own, including a series of rallies with Oprah Winfrey, who'd become a friend and supporter, and was as wise, funny, and gracious on the trail as she was in person
- Barack Obama A Promised Land (2020)
- You have to admire Oprah Winfrey. She is the most powerful woman in the country and comes from a very humble background. The woman has succeeded on talent and energy.
- I am grateful for the contribution Oprah Winfrey has made to our country in regard to reading.[1][2]
- The first eighteen years of life profoundly impact your entire life. In the book What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., Oprah shares her story of childhood trauma and how those experiences shaped her. Her mother beat her for even the slightest offense, and this abuse turned her into a people-pleaser. It took years for her to realize that her behavior as an adult was rooted in her experiences as a child.
- Nedra Glover Tawwab Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships (2023)
- My own after-school routine included watching The Oprah Winfrey Show. As I've watched old episodes, I realize now that I wasn't ready for the topics, but I certainly needed to hear them. The Oprah show covered abuse, neglect, giveaways, celebrity interviews, and almost every other imaginable subject. Her show gave me the terminology to name things in my life and the lives of others.
- Nedra Glover Tawwab Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships (2023)