--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The surest way to bring goodness to…" description: "\"The surest way to bring goodness to yourself is to make it your intention to do good for somebody else.\" — Oprah Winfrey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/oprah-winfrey-186_goodness_the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-your_1524176.png" --- # The surest way to bring goodness to yourself is to make it… ![“The surest way to bring goodness to yourself is to make it your intention to do good for somebody else.” quote by Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/oprah-winfrey-186_goodness_the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-your_1524176.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/oprah-winfrey-186_goodness_the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-your_1524176.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/oprah-winfrey-186_goodness_the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-your_1524176.png) > “The surest way to bring goodness to yourself is to make it your intention to do good for somebody else.” [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. Intentionally doing good for others cultivates personal goodness and purpose. **In simple terms:** Intentional kindness benefits self. Key Takeaway Do good intentionally. Themes kindness purpose intentionality Mood hopeful empathetic Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - volunteering - mentorship - leadership Key Concepts ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - What good act can you plan today? - How does helping others shape your identity? A Different Perspective Good deeds can be self‑serving if not sincere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bring Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bring-goodness-852048/) [Good Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-somebody-1488332/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention/) [Intention Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention-good-2273157/) [Make Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-intention-2798706/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I have not missed a day in my life of praying. It's always about the same thing, using my life as a vehicle. Whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-have-not-missed-a-day-in-my-life-of-praying-it-s-always-about-the/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Yes, I have used my success to bring goodness to the world. Because I'm an actress, and I'm on someone's favorite show or whatever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisol-nichols/yes-i-have-used-my-success-to-bring-goodness-to-the-world-because-i-m/) [Marisol Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisol-nichols/) > [“wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the state”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/wealth-does-not-bring-goodness-but-goodness-brings-wealth-and-every/) [socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“THIS COURSE There is a huge chasm between wanting to find your ideal partner and being truly available for that partner when he or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-woodward-thomas/this-course-there-is-a-huge-chasm-between-wanting-to-find-your-ideal/) [Katherine Woodward Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-woodward-thomas/) > [Any film I make, my intention is always to make people like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-gopal-varma/any-film-i-make-my-intention-is-always-to-make-people-like-it/) [Ram Gopal Varma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-gopal-varma/) > [Who are we to say that that was an odd way to do it? I don't think that it is God's purpose to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/who-are-we-to-say-that-that-was-an-odd-way-to-do-it-i-don-t-think/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Great films happen, and no one can make them on intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-gopal-varma/great-films-happen-and-no-one-can-make-them-on-intention/) [Ram Gopal Varma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-gopal-varma/) > [When you left the house today, you had the intention of putting clothes on and you did. You didn't try to put your pants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patch-adams/when-you-left-the-house-today-you-had-the-intention-of-putting/) [Patch Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patch-adams/) > [We call an intention good which is right in itself, but the action is good, not because it contains within it some good, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-abelard/we-call-an-intention-good-which-is-right-in-itself-but-the-action-is/) [Peter Abelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-abelard/) > [“Because of the a priori element in intention, good intentions are so tempting - compared with a successive unfolding in time - and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/because-of-the-a-priori-element-in-intention-good-intentions-are-so/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“I'd always been willing. But I always fell short, every good intention I ever had never good enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-jackson/i-d-always-been-willing-but-i-always-fell-short-every-good-intention/) [A.L. Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-jackson/) > [Intention, good or bad, is not enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/intention-good-or-bad-is-not-enough/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, when asked how to strike a better balance between family, work and self-realisation says: "You need the intention, good scheduling, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-mattis-namgyel-dakini-power-twelve-extraordinary-women-shaping-the-transmission-of-tibetan/elizabeth-mattis-namgyel-when-asked-how-to-strike-a-better-balance/) [Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel Dakini Power Twelve Extraordinary Women Shaping the Transmission of Tibetan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-mattis-namgyel-dakini-power-twelve-extraordinary-women-shaping-the-transmission-of-tibetan/) > [In fact we say that an intention is good, that is, right in itself, but that an action does not bear any good in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-abelard/in-fact-we-say-that-an-intention-is-good-that-is-right-in-itself-but/) [Peter Abelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-abelard/) > [ “\[Re: Rom 10:2\] It is commonly said: “The intention is good, and the purpose is true, but the means are misused.” The goal which… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/re-rom-10-2-it-is-commonly-said-the-intention-is-good-and-the-purpose/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) ## 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 Goodness quotes > [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) [Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/) > [Love reacts with goodness towards those who ill-treat it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-begg/love-reacts-with-goodness-towards-those-who-ill-treat-it/) [Alistair Begg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-begg/) > [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [One may not doubt that, somehow Good Shall come of Water and of Mud; And sure, the reverent eye must see A purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-brooke/one-may-not-doubt-that-somehow-good-shall-come-of-water-and-of-mud/) [Rupert Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-brooke/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [the path of goodness had a name it is called Love in it we find the key to every hope and has it's root…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-path-of-goodness-had-a-name-it-is-called-love-in-it-we-find-the/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [The family remains the basic unit of society and the first school in which children learn the human, spiritual and moral values which enable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-family-remains-the-basic-unit-of-society-and-the-first-school-in/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [To make one good action succeed another, is the perfection of goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-abi-talib/to-make-one-good-action-succeed-another-is-the-perfection-of-goodness/) [Ali ibn Abi Talib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ibn-abi-talib/) > [The living can't quit living because the world has turned terrible and people they love and need are killed. They can't because they don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-living-can-t-quit-living-because-the-world-has-turned-terrible/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [The future teachers I try to recruit are those show have refused to let themselves be neutered in this way, either in their private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-future-teachers-i-try-to-recruit-are-those-show-have-refused-to/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [A good man therefore is a standing lesson to us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-good-man-therefore-is-a-standing-lesson-to-us-all/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [And if thy heart be straight with God then every creature shall be to thee a mirror of life and a book of holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/and-if-thy-heart-be-straight-with-god-then-every-creature-shall-be-to/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [“Sometimes resilience arrives in the moment you discover your own unshakeable goodness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/sometimes-resilience-arrives-in-the-moment-you-discover-your-own/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [What is sin? It is the glory of God not honored. The holiness of God not reverenced. The greatness of God not admired. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/what-is-sin-it-is-the-glory-of-god-not-honored-the-holiness-of-god/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) [Browse all 3,129 Goodness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The surest way to bring goodness to yourself is to make it your intention to do good for somebody else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oprah Winfrey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-yourself-is-to-make-it-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Goodness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-yourself-is-to-make-it-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/oprah-winfrey-186_goodness_the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-your_1524176.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/oprah-winfrey-186_goodness_the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-your_1524176.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/oprah-winfrey-186_goodness_the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-your_1524176.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The surest way to bring goodness to yourself is to make it your intention to do good for somebody else.” — 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": "The surest way to bring goodness...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-yourself-is-to-make-it-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/the-surest-way-to-bring-goodness-to-yourself-is-to-make-it-your/#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 } } ] } ```