Celebrities' Letters to Younger Selves

We asked 17 accomplished women and men to write letters to their younger selves.

O, The Oprah Magazine | April 10, 2012

Photo: Courtesy of Lisa Jackson & Getty Images

Dear Lisa,

Finish every bit of schooling right now. Tuition will go up (a lot!) and the responsibilities that guilt you into not going back to school later will only grow.

Don't marry until at least 30. Take the time to get to know yourself first.

Cherish women. Lift them up and empower them. Not all women are worth the effort, but on average, humanity does well when women do well.

And you know that kinda gaudy crystal jewelry Mama wears to Mardi Gras balls? Go ask for it now—you will not believe how much you will crave that stuff in the future.
—Lisa P. Jackson, 50, EPA administrator