Tens of thousands of students, parents and fans packed Stanford Stadium as Oprah shared some of her words of wisdom.
It was a special day for graduates, as well as Oprah, because her goddaughter Kirby also graduated. She's the daughter of her best friend Gayle King.
"To you the Stanford graduates, thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you," said talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah was the class of '08's first pick to deliver Sunday's commencement address at Stanford University. They picked her mostly because they think she's inspirational and today, she had a few inspirational words.
"This is what I know for sure: in order to be truly happy, you must live along with and you have to stand for something larger than yourself, because life is a reciprocal exchange, to move forward you have to give back, and to me that is the greatest lesson of life," said Winfrey.
Oprah also shared practical advice about how to deal with failure and change.
"If it doesn't feel right, don't do it, that's the lesson. And that lesson alone, will save you my friends, a lot of grief. Even doubts means don't and that's what I have learned. There are a lot of times when you don't know what to do, get still, get very still until you do know what to do," said Winfrey.
Oprah earned $275 million last year, and while she says that having money is nice, it's not everything.
"When you're doing the work you're meant to do, it feels right, and every day is a bonus, regardless of what you're getting paid," said Winfrey.
Oprah endorsed a political candidate for the first time this presidential election.
Before the commencement address, Oprah sat down for a one-on-one interview with View from the Bay's co-host Janelle Wang.
They talked about everything from overcoming obstacles to presidential politics.
