When Oprah was 6 years old, she was separated from her grandmother, who'd been her primary caregiver. It was a life transition that helped Oprah learn the powerful lesson she shares in this clip from "Oprah's Lifeclass": "You are responsible for your life."
"I have always had the deep understanding for myself that if anything was going to move forward in my life that I was going to have to be responsible for making that happen," she says.
In her 25 years as host of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Oprah interviewed people from all over the world and all walks of life who affirmed this lesson for her.
"It does not matter where you come from," she says. "I have seen people come out of the desert, walk across the desert, being born in the most dire circumstances... What matters is now, this moment, and your willingness to see this moment for what it is."
She also warns those who believe that someone else holds the key to changing their world.
"If you're sitting around waiting on somebody to save you, to fix you, to even help you, you are wasting your time because only you have the power to take responsibility to move your life forward," says Oprah. "The sooner you get that, the sooner your life gets into gear."