"I didn't have anybody, really, no foundation in life, so I had to make my own way. Always, from the start. I had to go out in the world and become strong, to discover my mission in life"
About this Quote
The subtext is a quiet indictment of the myths we sell about talent and destiny. Turner isn't claiming she was chosen. She's saying she constructed a life because no one else did. Even "Always, from the start" sounds less like triumph than a weary timestamp: this wasn't one hard season, it was the weather. When she says she had to "go out in the world and become strong", the world isn't a stage; it's an arena. Strength isn't an aesthetic. It's armor.
Context matters because Tina Turner's public story often gets flattened into a redemption arc: abused wife becomes global icon, then spiritual seeker. This quote resists that packaging. "To discover my mission" arrives last, almost as a reward for enduring the earlier sentences. Purpose here isn't a cute brand slogan; it's what you earn after you outlive what tried to shrink you. She turns autobiography into a blueprint: identity as something built, not granted.
Quote Details
| Topic | Self-Improvement |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Turner, Tina. (2026, January 15). I didn't have anybody, really, no foundation in life, so I had to make my own way. Always, from the start. I had to go out in the world and become strong, to discover my mission in life. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-didnt-have-anybody-really-no-foundation-in-life-169745/
Chicago Style
Turner, Tina. "I didn't have anybody, really, no foundation in life, so I had to make my own way. Always, from the start. I had to go out in the world and become strong, to discover my mission in life." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-didnt-have-anybody-really-no-foundation-in-life-169745/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I didn't have anybody, really, no foundation in life, so I had to make my own way. Always, from the start. I had to go out in the world and become strong, to discover my mission in life." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-didnt-have-anybody-really-no-foundation-in-life-169745/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.







