Brené Brown Quotes

Compassion is not a virtue; it is a commitment. It’s not something we have or don’t have, and it’s something we choose to practice.

Joy, collected over time, fuels resilience – ensuring we’ll have reservoirs of emotional strength when hard things do happen.

We cannot grow when we are in shame, and we can’t use shame to change ourselves or others.

We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.

Empathy is the antidote to shame.

If there’s a feeling you have, other people have it. If there’s something weird about your life, other people have lived it. If there’s something kooky about your body, other people have that, too. We’re not alone. There’s some kind of tremendous relief in that and I think it can only be expressed in belly laughter. This tremendous relief that happens the millisecond we realize, it’s not just me. That’s what good laughter is about. It’s about knowing that you’re not alone.

We are hardwired to connect with others, it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, and without it there is suffering.

Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.

Shame cannot survive being spoken. It cannot survive empathy.

We are so busy that the truth about our lives can’t catch up.

I spent a lot of years trying to outrun or outsmart vulnerability by making things certain and definite, black and white, good and bad. My inability to lean into the discomfort of vulnerability limited the fullness of those important experiences that are wrought with uncertainty: love, belonging, trust, joy, and creativity, to name a few.

Courage is a value. My faith is the organizing principle in my life and what underpins my faith is courage and love, and so I have to be in the arena if I’m going to live in alignment with my values.