Oprah Winfrey Covers Instyle Magazine’s Latest Issue

Earlier this month, Oprah Winfrey gave a ground breaking speech when accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globe making her the first black womam to ever receive the prestigious award.

The trailblazer’s speech was so moving that many were left wondering whether the media mogul was actually considering a run for president. Off the back of that, the hashtag #OprahforPresident trended on all social platforms.

Now, in a powerful new InStyle cover story, Winfrey talks about the Oprah 2020 rumors (“It’s not something that interests me,” she said) — and gives us even more inspiration. Here, some nuggets of wisdom picked up from the interview.

On twitter and other Social media politics:

I try not to lean into the hysteria. I’ve heard a lot of Twitter chatter where people have said, ‘Where are you? You should be speaking up on these things!’ But it makes no sense to speak when you cannot be heard. One hundred and forty characters — that is not how you want to make your mark in the world.

On individuals and their character, she quoted her late friend and award-winning poet, Maya Angelou:

“What makes me angriest is the lack of discernment. Maya [Angelou] used to say to me, ‘When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.’ She said, ‘Babe, your problem is you have to be shown 29 times.’ So, I see a lot of people who have to be shown 29 times, who have a lack of discernment for things that appear to be obvious. Character is very much a defining matter in everything that you do. To be able to say because you behaved a certain way doesn’t [reflect] who you really are, that’s just wrong.”

On optimism:

“In terms of optimism within our own country, I think what’s exciting is this moment in our political history, in our social engagement. It’s really opened a lot of people to the fact that they have a voice, and it’s gotten people involved in ways that they never would’ve been before.”

On loss:

“I always tell people when somebody who’s loved you on earth is gone, it’s natural to grieve. But you can also leave just a little clearing for the spirit of them to abide with the spirit of you, to give you strength.”

To read the full interview, click here