Oprah Winfrey Remembers What It Was Like ‘Not Being Able To Afford’ Things

70-year-old Oprah Winfrey has made a name for herself and is best known for her popular talk show, 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,' which ran for 25 years and became one of the highest-rated television programs in history.

In addition to her highly successful talk show, Oprah has donated millions of dollars to various causes and established the Oprah Winfrey Foundation to support education, advocacy, and empowerment initiatives worldwide.

When looking back at her amazing career, she is filled with love and gratitude for her fans.

When speaking to PEOPLE for their 50th anniversary cover story, Oprah said, "Gratitude really is my religion."

"When you’re grateful for what you have, you end up seeing you have more than you imagine," she told the magazine.

She went on to say, "Start with your breath, and recognize what an absolute miracle it is that your heart’s still pumping. That is a revelation to me every day. I’m grateful for it all."

When she first entered the business, Oprah lived in an apartment in Chicago, and her first big paycheck would initially furnish her living space.

"I was going to furnish my first apartment in Chicago, and I walked into Crate & Barrel," she recalled. "There was a flatware set for $49.95. I did not get it because I still didn’t think I was making enough money to afford a six-piece set."

"Many years later, I was in a store and somebody was debating whether to get the flatware and I went to the counter and paid for it because I remember that feeling of not being able to afford it," she added. "I love doing that."

Oprah has since founded the Oprah Winfrey Foundation to support those in need.

"Hold on, girl. Hold on to yourself," she would advise her younger self.

"The most important thing is to remain centered so whether you're on the cover of PEOPLE or not, your identity isn't tied to what the rest of the world says it is," she told the magazine. "Being able to not get confused by what the external says about your internal self is the most important thing for anybody who's going to take the fame ride."

She went on to explain that one reason she has remained "so centered over the years "is that "when it happened to me, I'd already been working for a very long time."

"I'd been in TV since I was 19, and so by 1987 I was already, what, 33? And I had grown up centered in the church and had a really firm foundation of who I was," she said. "So I was excited to share myself, my talent, that show with the audience, but I wasn't really trying to figure out who I was."

The now 70-year-old entrepreneur reflected back on her early years, giving Maya Angelou credit for keeping her grounded and for keeping her centered.

"I've never been to a therapist because I had so many on the show, but my real therapy came from downloading whatever was happening in the day with Gayle [King] every night," she continued. "There wasn't a day that we missed being on some kind of phone call talking about what had happened in our days. I realized years later, talking to an expert about something else, that that was my therapy, that was my release. It was the way I regulated myself every day. I've had one of the best friendships anybody could have."

She concluded, "So having Maya, having Gayle, having Sidney Poitier before he passed... Those were the people who kept me grounded."

Now that Oprah has turned 70, she has advice for those who are nearing the age and may be having a difficult time with it.

"For everybody who's approaching this stage in your life, your number one concern is your health," she advised. "I don't live with a fear of death, but I live with a conscious acknowledgement that it's possible at any time... I would say that one of the reasons why I can sit in wisdom now, and I literally sit in the wisdom and I make no apologies for it, is because I have paid attention and I am really fully conscious."

She added, "I've been paying attention for a very long time."