36 Inspirational Iyanla Vanzant Quotes That Are As Funny As They Are Empowering

Georgia Stone
Dec 12, 2023 By Georgia Stone
Originally Published on Feb 09, 2021
Edited by Monisha Kochhar
Iyanla Vanzant attends the 48th NAACP IMAGE AWARDS
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Age: 0-99
Read time: 5.6 Min

Iyanla Vanzant was listed and honored by the 'Ebony' magazine as one among the "100 most influential Black Americans".

Her insightful talks about life, love, friendship, family, self-worth, courage, change, and the world as a whole are lucid yet empowering. One can surmise from the life story of Vanzant that everything that happens always has a reason.

Life is both the nourisher and destructor, the inflictor as well as the healer. Born as Rhonda Eva Harris, Iyanla Vanzant had to carve out her way through the hardships and glories life offered.

An author and speaker par excellence, Vanzant has provided a new perspective to the world as most of her inspirational talks are emanated from deep within. At the tender age of two, Vanzant lost her mother. Nevertheless, she never lost hope and struggled to gain the title of 'Iyanla', which translates as 'great mother'.

Undoubtedly, Vanzant, with her undaunted spirit, has given the world a great leader. Here are some of her inspirational quotes that prepare us for something bigger.

If you like what you are reading, check out our other quotes articles unique quotes, and unity quotes.

Iyanla Vanzant Quotes On Love

Iyanla Vanzant quotes about love are all-encompassing. She advocates the strength of love, so take a look at these beautiful quotes from her.

1. "Healing is the application of love."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

2. "You can never love anyone to your own detriment. That is not love, that is possession, control, fear, or a combination of them all."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

3. "Love is always present, surrounding us."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

4. "Help me to see new ways of being as I release old ways of seeing."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

5. "Give yourself permission to smile a lot today. In fact, why not make it a habit!"

- Iyanla Vanzant.

Iyanla Vanzant Quotes On Healing

Happy Indian kid girl talking to mother, using hands, fingers, speaking sign languages representing ASL Day.

Healing requires one to accept and believe in the self. These Iyanla Vanzant quotes about death, Iyanla Vanzant quotes about anger and pain speak all about healing.

6. "You can accept or reject the way you are treated...Until you heal the wounds of your past, you will continue to bleed."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

7. "A change of perspective may be all it takes to transform a painful experience into a powerful growth experience."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

8. "The only way to get what you really want is to let go of what you don't want."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

9. "When you stand and share your story in an empowering way, your story will heal you and your story will heal somebody else."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

10. "No whining, no complaining about anyone. Everybody in your life has come to teach you lessons."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

Iyanla Vanzant Quotes On Forgiveness And Gratitude

It is apparent that Vanzant is an advocate of love and forgiveness. She believes that possession of these qualities coupled with a sense of gratefulness would help one to prosper. These Iyanla Vanzant quotes subtly interspersed with humor are all about embracing life.

11. "Forgiveness frees the forgiver."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

12. "Gratitude is like a magnet; the more grateful you are, the more you will receive to be grateful for."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

13. "Forgiveness is not forgetting; it is simply denying your pain the right to control your life."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

14. "Remain open. There is something bigger than you know going on here."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

15. "We think we have to do something to be grateful... when gratitude is a state of being."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

Iyanla Vanzant Quotes On Life

When Vanzant speaks about life, she incorporates all the elements that form the entirety of life like pain, healing, change, belief, growth, and experience.

16. "Everyone has a purpose because God is a purposeful God."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

17. "Your willingness to look at your darkness is what empowers you to change."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

18. "Act the way you want to be and soon you will be the way you act."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

19. "Lives fall apart when they need to be rebuilt."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

20. "Pain is pain, hurt is hurt, fear is fear, anger is anger, and it has no color."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

21. "You can't just cry about the pain...pray about the pain. You must eliminate the pain."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

22. "We're all in prison...but some of us have a key."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

23. "Some of us will plant the seed and never see the plant."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

24. "Before you find out who you are, you have to figure out who you aren't."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

25. "When you are a visionary, people come forward to serve you, not spite you."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

26. "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

27. "The best students get the hardest tests."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

28. "Life will let you get away with something for a while, but sooner or later, you will pay the price...When you get the bill, be prepared to pay."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

Iyanla Vanzant Quotes On Loving Yourself

Loving yourself quotes include Iyanla Vanzant quotes from 'Peace From Broken Pieces', Iyanla Vanzant quotes about letting go, Iyanla Vanzant quotes about men and Iyanla Vanzant quotes on friendship. She also preaches about the strength of femininity.

As she mentions, "A woman can walk into a room and control it. She doesn't even have to open her mouth if she knows where her power is." So, take inspiration from Iyanla Vanzant to know your strength and love yourself.

29. "Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself...We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

30. "Education is your ability to use what you have learned to be better today than you were yesterday."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

31. "Until you believe in your self-worth...there will be a void in your Spirit."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

32. "Never judge your clarity based on someone else's response."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

33. "You have set standards for how you want to be treated and what you expect from yourself and for yourself."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

34. "You've got to be willing to lose everything to gain yourself."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

35. "If you want a real experience of serenity, look for the good. Affirm the good. Acknowledge the good. In yourself and everyone else."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

36. "Listen for the instruction, instead of begging for the direction."

- Iyanla Vanzant.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotesfor everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Iyanla Vanzant quotes then why not take a look at you got this quotes, and you're not alone quotes.

Main image credit: Jamie Lamor Thompson / Shutterstock.com

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Written by Georgia Stone

Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia Stone picture

Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.

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