--- ---  # Martha Stewart Shares the Most Powerful Words Her Father Ever Said to Her by [Martha Stewart](https://time.com/author/martha-stewart/) ## Martha Stewart Jun 16, 2017 6:16 PM UTC  NAPA, CA - MAY 26: Marth Stewart participates in a cooking demonstration at the Culinary stage during BottleRock Napa Valley Festival on May 26, 2017 in Napa, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images) NAPA, CA - MAY 26: Marth Stewart participates in a cooking demonstration at the Culinary stage during BottleRock Napa Valley Festival on May 26, 2017 in Napa, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)Tim Mosenfelder—Getty Images by [Martha Stewart](https://time.com/author/martha-stewart/) ## Martha Stewart Jun 16, 2017 6:16 PM UTC My dad, Edward Kostyra, was constantly offering his sage [advice](http://motto.time.com/4386351/how-to-stop-doubt/) on any number of topics to each of his six children. I think I was the most receptive, full of avid curiosity to learn everything Dad knew and apply it to everything that interested me. He recognized my enthusiasm and [encouraged me](http://motto.time.com/4369729/science-parenting-raising-girls/) by constantly saying, “You can do anything you set your mind to!” That perhaps is the most powerful thing ever said to me, and it remains with me today. _Martha Stewart is an entrepreneur, lifestyle expert and best-selling author._ The Best Advice Martha Stewart Received From Her Father ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4821493/martha-stewart-advice-from-dad/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4821493/martha-stewart-advice-from-dad/"},"headline":"Martha Stewart Shares the Most Powerful Words Her Father Ever Said to Her","datePublished":"2017-06-16T18:16:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:05:44.087Z","description":"‘He recognized my enthusiasm and encouraged me'","url":"https://time.com/4821493/martha-stewart-advice-from-dad/","keywords":["motto","advice","martha stewart","Father's Day"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta536cf70a42b27d6/6988d203e76ad202df62def2/martha-stewart-advice-from-dad.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Martha Stewart","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/martha-stewart/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta536cf70a42b27d6/6988d203e76ad202df62def2/martha-stewart-advice-from-dad.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"BottleRock Napa Valley 2017 - Day 1","caption":"BottleRock Napa Valley 2017 - Day 1","creditText":"Tim Mosenfelder—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4821493/martha-stewart-advice-from-dad/","name":"Martha Stewart Shares the Most Powerful Words Her Father Ever Said to Her"}}]}] ```