--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I have learned in my life and work…" description: "\"What I have learned in my life and work is that the more I am able to be myself, the more it enables other people to be themselves.\" — Oprah Winfrey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/oprah-winfrey-186_able_what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work_2890131.png" --- # What I have learned in my life and work is that the more I… ![“What I have learned in my life and work is that the more I am able to be myself, the more it enables other people to be themselves.” quote by Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/oprah-winfrey-186_able_what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work_2890131.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/oprah-winfrey-186_able_what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work_2890131.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/oprah-winfrey-186_able_what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work_2890131.png) > “What I have learned in my life and work is that the more I am able to be myself, the more it enables other people to be themselves.” [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. Being authentic empowers others to be authentic, creating a ripple of self‑acceptance. **In simple terms:** Being yourself lets others be themselves. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity. Themes authenticity leadership empowerment Mood inspirational hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - team meetings - mentorship - public speaking Key Concepts self‑acceptance social influence Questions to Reflect On - How does your authenticity affect those around you? - What barriers stop you from being yourself? A Different Perspective Authenticity may be challenged by social pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-work/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [What I've learned is that life is too short and movies are too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-leary/what-i-ve-learned-is-that-life-is-too-short-and-movies-are-too-long/) [Denis Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-leary/) > [In retrospect I would say from Donald Duck I have learned more about life than from all the schools I ever attended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-helnwein/in-retrospect-i-would-say-from-donald-duck-i-have-learned-more-about/) [Gottfried Helnwein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-helnwein/) > [What I have learned in this life is you can never be ashamed of where you come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-i-have-learned-in-this-life-is-you-can-never-be-ashamed-of-where/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How little we know of what there is to know. I wish that I were going to live a long time instead of going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/how-little-we-know-of-what-there-is-to-know-i-wish-that-i-were-going/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I've learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-ve-learned-that-life-is-like-a-roll-of-toilet-paper-the-closer-it/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I have learned throughout my life as a composer chiefly through my mistakes and pursuits of false assumptions, not by my exposure to founts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-stravinsky/i-have-learned-throughout-my-life-as-a-composer-chiefly-through-my/) [Igor Stravinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-stravinsky/) > [If I'm honest with myself, I think it's probably true I have learned more in my life through pain than through joy. But hopefully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/if-i-m-honest-with-myself-i-think-it-s-probably-true-i-have-learned/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I've learned over and over that life happens on its own terms, not mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-walsh/i-ve-learned-over-and-over-that-life-happens-on-its-own-terms-not-mine/) [Kate Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-walsh/) > [There's a lesson to be learned out of everything we go through in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latoya-jackson/there-s-a-lesson-to-be-learned-out-of-everything-we-go-through-in-life/) [LaToya Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latoya-jackson/) > [I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-learned-that-no-matter-what-happens-or-how-bad-it-seems-today/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We have learned to take life seriously, but never ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-dressler/we-have-learned-to-take-life-seriously-but-never-ourselves/) [Marie Dressler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-dressler/) > [“We learned about life from the books they told us not to read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoinette-ingoldsby/we-learned-about-life-from-the-books-they-told-us-not-to-read/) Antoinette Ingoldsby > [Technology enables people to improve communication with unprecedented speed, scale and iterative testing. It also allows people to wreak chaos with high leverage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/technology-enables-people-to-improve-communication-with-unprecedented/) [Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/) > [Our company has to be a company that enables its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/our-company-has-to-be-a-company-that-enables-its-people/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [Connectivity doesn't just mean you get a lot more chances to deliver messages about customer service and pricing plans. This isn't one-sided. It enables…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murdoch/connectivity-doesn-t-just-mean-you-get-a-lot-more-chances-to-deliver/) [James Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murdoch/) ## 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 Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I have learned in my life and work is that the more I am able to be myself, the more it enables other people to be themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oprah Winfrey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work-is-that-the-more-i-am-able-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work-is-that-the-more-i-am-able-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/oprah-winfrey-186_able_what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work_2890131.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/oprah-winfrey-186_able_what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work_2890131.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b34/oprah-winfrey-186_able_what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work_2890131.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I have learned in my life and work is that the more I am able to be myself, the more it enables other…” — 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": "What I have learned in my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work-is-that-the-more-i-am-able-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/what-i-have-learned-in-my-life-and-work-is-that-the-more-i-am-able-to/#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 } } ] } ```