--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes you find out what you are…" description: "\"Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.\" — Oprah Winfrey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/oprah-winfrey-186_commencement-speech_sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supp_2879632.png" --- # Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing… ![“Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.” quote by Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/oprah-winfrey-186_commencement-speech_sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supp_2879632.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/oprah-winfrey-186_commencement-speech_sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supp_2879632.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/oprah-winfrey-186_commencement-speech_sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supp_2879632.png) > “Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.” [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpected actions can reveal true purpose, suggesting that deviation from expectations leads to self‑discovery. **In simple terms:** Doing the unexpected uncovers purpose. Key Takeaway Explore beyond comfort zones. Themes self‑discovery purpose risk growth Mood encouraging hopeful Type motivational practical When to use this quote - career change - artistic pursuits - personal coaching Key Concepts psychology personal development creativity Questions to Reflect On - What “wrong” actions have taught you? - How can you safely experiment? A Different Perspective Risk can lead to failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commencement speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commencement-speech/) [Graduation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduation/) [Graduation speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduation-speech/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [If I'm doing the things I'm supposed to be doing, I don't really see the need to change a whole lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-hovland/if-i-m-doing-the-things-i-m-supposed-to-be-doing-i-don-t-really-see/) [Viktor Hovland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-hovland/) > [Never follow anyone else's path, unless you're in the woods and you're lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/never-follow-anyone-else-s-path-unless-you-re-in-the-woods-and-you-re-3/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [My favorite animal is the turtle. The reason is that in order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-westheimer/my-favorite-animal-is-the-turtle-the-reason-is-that-in-order-for-the/) [Ruth Westheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-westheimer/) > [I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which, was that you can fail at what you don't want so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/i-learned-many-great-lessons-from-my-father-not-the-least-of-which/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [Don't be afraid of fear. Because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger; and when you run away from fear, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/don-t-be-afraid-of-fear-because-it-sharpens-you-it-challenges-you-it/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > [Life has a very simple plot: first you're here and then you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/life-has-a-very-simple-plot-first-you-re-here-and-then-you-re-not/) [Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/) > [You might as well take a chance on doing what you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/you-might-as-well-take-a-chance-on-doing-what-you-love/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/so-many-of-us-choose-our-path-out-of-fear-disguised-as-practicality-2/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [With my existence and with my music I'm saying, even though we're not supposed to, here I am doing it and doing it well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-runway/with-my-existence-and-with-my-music-i-m-saying-even-though-we-re-not/) [Bree Runway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-runway/) > [I do what I do because there's nothing else for me to do. This is what I'm supposed to be doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-coles/i-do-what-i-do-because-there-s-nothing-else-for-me-to-do-this-is-what/) [Kim Coles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-coles/) > [I love that because that's what I'm supposed to be doing - whether it's accepted b everybody or not. I'm supposed to be pushing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/i-love-that-because-that-s-what-i-m-supposed-to-be-doing-whether-it-s/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [I am doing what I am supposed to be doing right now. I smile knowing that I have the most wonderful husband, family, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-oz/i-am-doing-what-i-am-supposed-to-be-doing-right-now-i-smile-knowing/) [Daphne Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-oz/) > [I don't know why people say I'm not supposed to be doing what I'm doing. I'm just trying to do my job. I'm blessed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pujols/i-don-t-know-why-people-say-i-m-not-supposed-to-be-doing-what-i-m/) [Albert Pujols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pujols/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [There is a norm, there is a model of the way things are supposed to be. When you find yourself outside of that, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lively/there-is-a-norm-there-is-a-model-of-the-way-things-are-supposed-to-be/) [Scott Lively](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lively/) ## More by Oprah Winfrey > [I've seen that many times in rural African villages where people have nothing but a hut and a bowl. The joy in the children's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-ve-seen-that-many-times-in-rural-african-villages-where-people-have/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [These French-style caramels are handmade in California. It's always hard to give them away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/these-french-style-caramels-are-handmade-in-california-it-s-always/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“Forgiveness is about letting go of the past and not holding on to it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/forgiveness-is-about-letting-go-of-the-past-and-not-holding-on-to-it/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [The deepest courage we can exercise is continuing to believe in our dreams until we make them come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-deepest-courage-we-can-exercise-is-continuing-to-believe-in-our/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [If you can see it, and believe it, it is a LOT easier to achieve it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/if-you-can-see-it-and-believe-it-it-is-a-lot-easier-to-achieve-it/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It's why you were born. And how you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/there-is-no-greater-gift-you-can-give-or-receive-than-to-honor-your/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Gratitude is the single greatest treasure I will take with me from this experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/gratitude-is-the-single-greatest-treasure-i-will-take-with-me-from/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I am disappointed by this controversy surrounding A Million Little Pieces because I rely on the publishers to define the category that a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-am-disappointed-by-this-controversy-surrounding-a-million-little/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Keep a grateful journal. Every night, list five things that you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is change our perspective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/keep-a-grateful-journal-every-night-list-five-things-that-you-are/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I want every day to be a fresh start on expanding what is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-want-every-day-to-be-a-fresh-start-on-expanding-what-is-possible/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [We often block our own blessings because we don't feel inherently good enough or smart enough or pretty enough or worthy enough... You're worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/we-often-block-our-own-blessings-because-we-don-t-feel-inherently/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [One if the hardest things in life to learn are which bridges to cross and which bridges to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/one-if-the-hardest-things-in-life-to-learn-are-which-bridges-to-cross/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [You must feed your mind with reading material, thoughts, and ideas that open you to new possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/you-must-feed-your-mind-with-reading-material-thoughts-and-ideas-that/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Your soul tells you when it's time to move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/your-soul-tells-you-when-it-s-time-to-move-on/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) [Explore all 971 Oprah Winfrey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## More Commencement speech quotes > [The whole point of a commencement speech is to say something encouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/the-whole-point-of-a-commencement-speech-is-to-say-something/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which, was that you can fail at what you don't want so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/i-learned-many-great-lessons-from-my-father-not-the-least-of-which/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [The commencement speech is not, I think, a wholly satisfactory manifestation of our culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-commencement-speech-is-not-i-think-a-wholly-satisfactory/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world. Don't let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/your-need-for-acceptance-can-make-you-invisible-in-this-world-don-t/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/there-is-no-such-thing-as-failure-failure-is-just-life-trying-to-move/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [There happen to be whole large parts of adult American life that nobody talks about in commencement speeches. One such part involves boredom, routine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/there-happen-to-be-whole-large-parts-of-adult-american-life-that/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [By the time Clinton graduated from Yale Law School, many people, including her boyfriend Bill, believed she could, and should, embark on a political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-traister/by-the-time-clinton-graduated-from-yale-law-school-many-people/) [Rebecca Traister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-traister/) > [One must search diligently to find laudatory comments on education (other than those pious platitudes which are fodder for commencement speeches). It appears that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/one-must-search-diligently-to-find-laudatory-comments-on-education/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [I did work well with Hillary Clinton when she was my colleague in the Senate, and I certainly don't bear her any ill will.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-collins/i-did-work-well-with-hillary-clinton-when-she-was-my-colleague-in-the/) [Susan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-collins/) > [Student loan debt is certainly not a fitting topic for a commencement speech, but it's an issue we must confront - not only for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-feinstein/student-loan-debt-is-certainly-not-a-fitting-topic-for-a-commencement/) [Dianne Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-feinstein/) > [“Read. Read all the time. Read as a matter of principle, as a matter of self-respect. Read as a nourishing staple of life.” (Wellesly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/read-read-all-the-time-read-as-a-matter-of-principle-as-a-matter-of-2/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [You might as well take a chance on doing what you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/you-might-as-well-take-a-chance-on-doing-what-you-love/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [Continue to share your heart with people even if it's been broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/continue-to-share-your-heart-with-people-even-if-it-s-been-broken/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [George W. Bush gave a commencement speech at Southern Methodist University this weekend. It was pretty inspirational. He said, 'As I like to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/george-w-bush-gave-a-commencement-speech-at-southern-methodist/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [President Bush delivered a commencement speech at a university in Wisconsin. A very inspirational speech. Apparently Bush told the students, 'You can do anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/president-bush-delivered-a-commencement-speech-at-a-university-in/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) [Browse all 45 Commencement speech quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commencement-speech/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oprah Winfrey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supposed-to-be-doing-by-doing-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Commencement speech" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supposed-to-be-doing-by-doing-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/oprah-winfrey-186_commencement-speech_sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supp_2879632.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/oprah-winfrey-186_commencement-speech_sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supp_2879632.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/oprah-winfrey-186_commencement-speech_sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supp_2879632.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.” — Oprah Winfrey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Oprah Winfrey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes you find out what you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supposed-to-be-doing-by-doing-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/sometimes-you-find-out-what-you-are-supposed-to-be-doing-by-doing-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```