I try to basically keep my opinions to myself when it comes to people who are charged with crimes that I don't know anything about.
Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.
You've got to figure out what it is you love - who you really are - and have the courage to do that.
Everything that has ever happened to you has happened for you. Not one thing that has happened is wasted... You were building strength and strength x strength = POWER.
I don't think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good.
I believe that every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear.
Right now you are one choice away from a new beginning - one that leads you toward becoming the fullest human being you can be.
Have the boldness to tell yourself the truth - every bit of it.
Every time a child is saved from the dark side of life, every time one of us makes the effort to make a difference in a child's life, we add light and healing to our own lives.
If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. It shouldn't change you. If you're a jerk, you just get to be a bigger jerk. What fame does is magnify who you are and puts that on a platter for the whole world to see.
There is no paycheck that can equal the feeling of contentment that comes from being the person you are meant to be.
Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.
You really haven't changed, you've just become more of yourself. That is really what were all trying to do: become more of ourselves.
If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher, the law of averages - not to mention the myth of Icarus - predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you do, I want you to know this, remember this: There is no such thing as failure.
This is your moment. Own it.
Don?t back down just to keep the peace. Standing up for your beliefs builds self-confidence and self-esteem.
What you want to do is to get to the point where you only do what matters to you. The real goal in life is to become more of who you are, so that you can make the choices that really satisfy who you are and what you want to do.
The next time you look into the mirror, try to let go of the storyline that says you're too fat or too sallow, too ashy or too old, your eyes are too small or your nose too big; just look into the mirror and see your face. When the criticism drops away, what you will see then is just you, without judgment, and that is the first step towards transforming your experience of the world.
Can I just tell you the truth? I get asked to do a lot of stuff. And all of the years that people have asked me to do things for the film festival, I couldn't. And so this year, I thought, "Oh, my god, I don't have a day job. If somebody ask me to do something, I'm going to do it."
I believe that one of life's greatest risks is never daring to risk.
Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.
Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded, or how much power you have.
Always take a stand for yourself, your values. You're defined by what you stand for
There's a surge, there's a kind of energy field that says, 'I'm in my groove, I'm in my groove.' and nobody has to tell you, 'You go, girl,' because you know you're already gone.
I am grateful for the blessings of wealth, but it hasn't changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I'm just wearing better shoes.
Being still at least once a day will enhance your life.
I am not in the closet. I am not coming out of the closet. I am not gay.
Whatever your calling or purpose is, it's your job to feel it. No gift that you have been given was made for yourself.
How do I define success? Let me tell you, money's pretty nice. But having a lot of money does not automatically make you a successful person. What you want is money and meaning. You want your work to be meaningful, because meaning is what brings the real richness to your life.
I do miss the people in the audience and the fun: "I came with my mother! And this is my mother!" I miss that. I miss: "My cousin and I came all the way from...." I miss that. I don't miss this - who is left to interview?
If we're really committed to growth, we never stop discovering new dimensions of self and self-expression .
We have to steer our true life’s course. Whatever your calling is in life! The whole purpose of being here is to figure out what that is as soon as possible, so you go about the business of being on track, of not being owned by what your mother said, what society said, whatever people think a woman is supposed to be when you can exceed other people’s expectations and be defined by your own!
The reason I gained so much weight in the first place and the reason I had such a sorry history of abusive relationships with men was I just needed approval so much. I needed everyone to like me, because I didn't like myself much.
I don't want anyone who doesn't want me.
If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. That is the lesson, and that lesson alone will save you a lot of grief.
You've got to follow your passion. You've got to figure out what it is you love--who you really are. And have the courage to do that. I believe that the only courage anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams.
Only by owning who and what you are can you step into the fullness of life.
Every time you state what you want or believe, you're the first to hear it. It's a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don't put a ceiling on yourself
Your gut is your inner compass. Whenever you have to consult with other people for an answer, you're headed in the wrong direction.
The way to choose happiness is to follow what is right and real and the truth for you.
Declare today "sacred timeoff limits to everyone, unless invited by you. Take care of your personal wants and needs. Say no, graciously but firmly, to others' demands."
The work of your life is to discover your purpose and get on with the business of living it out.
What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.
I feel my greatest work is yet to come.
Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
What you do today creates every tomorrow.
The struggle of my life created empathy... I could relate to pain... being abandoned... having people not love me.
Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism.
I know for sure that's what we're here to do: Keep the joy thing going for all seasons.
You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it.
For years I've advocated keeping a gratitude journal, writing down five things every day that brought pleasure and gratefulness.
There is no such thing as failure. Mistakes happen in your life to bring into focus more clearly who you really are.
Thank you for that experience.
If you seek what is honorable, what is good, what is the truth of your life, all the other things you could not imagine come as a matter of course.
I firmly believe that none of us in this world have made it until the least among us have made it.
When I was a kid and the other kids were home watching "Leave it to Beaver," my father and step-mother were marching me off to the library.
Life is better when you share it.
I made the decision I will own my own show. So never again will I ever be told what I can and can not do.
Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so.
You need to dream a bigger dream for yourself. That is the lesson. Hold the highest vision possible for your life and it can come true.
