Charles McQuillan/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Meghan Markle has been the subject of much criticism throughout the years but that hasn’t stopped her from speaking out — and now, she’s sharing a few words of wisdom for others who want to do the same.
The 39-year-old Duchess of Sussex spoke with Fortune‘s senior editor Ellen McGirt at the magazine’s Most Powerful Women virtual summit on Tuesday and shared that “it’s about being authentic.”
Markle, who’s had critics come for her after speaking up about topics like Black Lives Matter and naming the victims of police killings, added that most of the negativity comes from misinterpretation.
“If you look back at anything I’ve said, it’s really interesting, because what often ends up being inflammatory it seems, is people’s interpretation of it,” she said. “But if you listen to what I actually say, it’s not controversial.”
“That is the takeaway that I have found, is if you don’t listen to all the noise out there, and you just focus on living a purpose-driven life and you focus on knowing what your own moral compass is … there are always going to be naysayers,” she continued.
“I used to have a quote up in my room many, many moons ago, and it resonates now more than ever when you see the vitriol and noise that can be out in the world, and it’s by Georgia O’Keeffe. And it’s, ‘I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.’ And the moment that you are able to be liberated from all these other opinions, of what you know to be true, then I think it’s very easy to just live with truth and live with authenticity and that’s how I choose to move through the world,” Markle concluded.
“If you listen to what I actually say, it’s not controversial.”
Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, joined the #FortuneMPW Summit and shared her advice for speaking out on important issues: https://t.co/pSn3nFrdtQ pic.twitter.com/4bJ9NBoTuD
— FORTUNE (@FortuneMagazine) September 29, 2020
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