Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.

I have never met a man who has given me as much trouble as myself.

We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

The man of authentic self-confidence is the man who relies on the judgment of his own mind. Such a man is not malleable; he may be mistaken, he may be fooled in a given instance, but he is inflexible in regard to the absolutism of reality, i.e., in seeking and demanding truth.

I think I have learned that the best way to lift one’s self up is to help someone else.

Ultimately the greatest help is self-help.

We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and — in spite of True Romance magazines — we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely — at least, not all the time — but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.

Follow your own path, no matter what people say.

The virtues are lost in self-interest as rivers are lost in the sea.

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.

The most important relationship we can all have is the one you have with yourself, the most important journey you can take is one of self-discovery. To know yourself, you must spend time with yourself, you must not be afraid to be alone. Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain – and most fools do. But it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.

I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately.

Love: I recognize the emotion for what it is, an irrational self-destructive impulse, which is disguised as joy.

Our own self-love draws a thick veil between us and our faults.

Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.

Not to be occupied with your sin, but to be occupied with God brings deliverance from self.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

To be nobody-but-yourself – in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else – means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

You cannot experience the fullness of your authentic self or life when you live to avoid hurt. You will never know the joy of love or the peaceful satisfaction of being loved if you hide from hurt.

I suppose our capacity for self-delusion is boundless.

I am increasingly an architect of self. I am free to will and choose. I can, through accepting my individuality… become more of my uniqueness, more of my potentiality.

Self care isn’t selfish. It’s self esteem.

Know thy enemy and know thy self and you will win a hundred battles.

Self-esteem does not come from surrounding yourself with people and things that seem to increase your value. Real self-esteem is an integration of an inner-value with things in the world around you.

Comparing yourself to others is an act of violence against your authentic self.

Saying ‘no’ can be the ultimate self-care.

A friend is a second self.

We can only belong when we offer our most authentic selves and when we’re embraced for who we are.

Love has nothing to do with another person. Love is Truth. Love is Beauty. Love is Self. To know yourself, to surrender to the truth of yourself, is to surrender to love.

Nothing can stand in the way of the man who focuses his entire self on a problem.