Nathaniel Branden Quotes

“Whether in the workplace or in personal relationships, success belongs to those who are willing to take responsibility for attaining their desires-those who respond to life actively rather than passively.”

Success Desire Responsibility Willing Workplace Taking Responsibility Personal Relationships

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“Whether your focus is on preserving and strengthening family ties in a world of increasingly unstable relationships, gaining access to a decent job, growing and evolving as a person, or guiding a company through the stormy seas of a fiercely competitive global marketplace-whether your goals are material, emotional, or spiritual-the price of success is the same: thinking, learning. To be asleep at the wheel-to rely only on the known, familiar, and automatized-is to invite disaster.”

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“Of all the judgments you make in life, none is as important as the one you make about yourself. The difference between low self-esteem and high self-esteem is the difference between passivity and action, between failure and success.”

Important Self Action Differences Self Esteem Judgment Lows Esteem About Yourself Success And Failure Low Self Esteem Passivity High Self Esteem

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“It is true that people are sometimes hit by adversities beyond their control. But those so affected are better helped when they are awakened to the resources they do possess than when they are told they don't have any.”

People Sometimes Resources Adversity Affected Awakened

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“To accept struggle as part of life, to accept all of it, even the darkest moments of anguish; to be motivated by love rather than fear, by confidence rather than insecurity: these are the benchmarks of high self-esteem. The wish to avoid fear and pain is not the motive that drives the lives of highly evolved men and women; rather, it is the life force within them, thrusting toward its unique form of expression-the actualization of personal values.”

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“Even when our life is most difficult, it is important to remember that something within us is keeping us alive- the life force-that lift us, energizes us, pulls us back sometimes from the abyss of despair. True spirituality does not exist without love of life.”

Doe Important Sometimes Remember Life Is Spirituality Force Difficult Our Lives Alive Despair Lifts Love Life Abyss Without Love

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“Integrity is congruence between what you know, what you profess, and what you do.”

Knows Integrity Congruence

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“Anyone who really loves you wants you to be authentic. And anyone who doesn't want you to be authentic doesn't really love you.”

Want Love You Authenticity

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“The feeling that "I am enough" does not mean that I have nothing to learn, nothing further to achieve, and nowhere to grow to. It means that I accept myself, that I am not on trial in my own eyes, that I value and respect myself. This is not an act of indulgence but of courage.”

Mean Doe Self Enough Feelings Eye Values Grows My Own Accepting Achieve Trials Indulgence Values And Respect

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“The more you surrender to the fear of someone's disapproval, the more you lose face in your own eyes, and the more desperate you become for someone's approval. Within you is a void that should have been filled by self-esteem. When you attempt to fill it with the approval of others instead, the void grows deeper and the hunger for acceptance and approval grows stronger. The only solution is to summon the courage to honor your own judgment, frightening though that may be in the beginning.”

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“If you bring five percent more awareness to your work tomorrow, or to your most important relationship, what might you do differently? Are you willing to find out?”

Ifs Important Might Five Awareness Willing Tomorrow Percent Important Relationships

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“For children mastery entails struggle. This means they must be permitted to struggle. If parents inappropriately step in to "help"-out of impatience or solicitude-they sabotage important learning. Among other things, the child is unlikely to discover the advantages of perseverance and self-discipline.”

Ifs Mean Children Important Self Helping Parent Steps Struggle Discipline Advantage Perseverance Mastery Self Discipline Unlikely Impatience Sabotage Solicitude

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“If you face life without confidence in your own powers, you succumb too easily to setbacks and adversity; you lack the will to persevere.”

Ifs Faces Confidence Adversity Persevere Setback

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“It is very difficult to accept in others emotions you cannot accept in yourself.”

Difficult Emotion Accepting

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“When you are frightened, you typically pull energy in to your center, seeing less, hearing less-shrinking consciousness precisely when you need to expand it.”

Needs Energy Fear Consciousness Seeing Hearing Frightened Shrinking

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“If you overcome your fear to ask someone for a date, a raise, or help with a project, that is an act of self-assertiveness. You are moving out into life rather than contracting and withdrawing.”

Ifs Self Helping Moving Asks Fear Projects Overcoming Raises Assertiveness Moving Out Withdrawing Contracting

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“You have a right to your feelings. Your feelings are there to tell you something, but they are not infallible guides to behavior.”

Feelings Behavior Guides Infallible

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“Set goals that don't feel all that easy, that challenge you, stimulate you, and give you a chance to stretch and push yourself. That is where the power of growth lies.”

Giving Feels Lying Easy Goal Growth Challenges Chance Setting Goals Push Yourself

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“What is guilt? It is moral self-reproach-I did wrong when it was possible to have done otherwise.”

Self Done Moral Guilt Reproach

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“Doing more of what doesn't work doesn't work.”

Book:The Art of Living Consciously: The Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday Life

Source: The Art of Living Consciously: The Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday Life

“The highest compliment one can be paid by another human being is to be told: 'Because of what you are, you are essential to my happiness.'”

Humans Human Beings Essentials Highest Paid Compliment

Book:Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

Source: Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

“Some people have a view of self and of the universe that obliges them to struggle for happiness, to yearn for happiness-"some time in the future"-perhaps next year or the year after that. But not now. Not at this moment. Not here. Here and now is too terrifyingly close, too terrifyingly immediate. They suffer from happiness anxiety.”

People Years Self Moments Happiness Suffering Universe Next Views Struggle Anxiety Here And Now Next Year

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“The tragedy of too many people is that they cannot allow happiness just to be there; they cannot leave it alone. Their sense of who they are and of what their destiny is cannot accommodate happiness. So they are drive to find ways to sabotage it.”

People Way Happiness Destiny Tragedy Accommodate Sabotage

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“Sometimes pain is easier to bear alone than happiness.”

Sometimes Pain Bears Easier

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“The real basic power of an individual isn't what he or she knows; it's the ability to think and learn and face new challenges.”

Thinking Knows Real Faces Individual Challenges Ability Power New Challenges

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“To exist without purpose is to be at the mercy of the chance encounter, the chance invitation, the chance phone call, the chance event- always being controlled by forces external to oneself.”

Purpose Force Chance Events Mercy Phones Oneself Encounters Controlled Invitations Phone Calls Chance Encounters

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“A productive purpose to which you give yourself fully and joyfully is one of the great adventures of life. It is a uniquely human source of happiness.”

Giving Humans Purpose Adventure Source Productive Great Adventure Source Of Happiness

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“It is impressive to see a person who has been battered by life in many ways, who is torn by a variety of unsolved problems, who may be alienated from many aspects of the self-but who is still fighting, still struggling, still striving to find the path to a fulfilling existence, moved by the wisdom of knowing, "I am more than my problems."”

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“Some people stand and move as if they have no right to the space they occupy. They wonder why others often fail to treat them with respect-not realizing that they have signaled others that it is not necessary to treat them with respect.”

People Ifs Moving Realizing Space Wonder Failing Respect Treats

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“Self-respecting men and women think about the consequences of their actions-and are willing to take responsibility for them.”

Thinking Men Self Action Responsibility Willing Men And Women Consequence Taking Responsibility

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“Taking on responsibilities that properly belong to someone else means behaving irresponsibly toward yourself. You need to know where you end and someone else begins. You need to understand boundaries. You need to know what is and is not up to you, what is and is not in your control, what is and is not your responsibility.”

Knows Needs Mean Ends Responsibility Boundaries Up To You

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“If you have high self-esteem, you might still know times of emotional suffering, but less often and with faster recovery-your resilience is greater.”

Ifs Knows Stills Self Might Suffering Greater Self Esteem Emotional Resilience Recovery Esteem Faster High Self Esteem Emotional Suffering

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“I believe that earning your living doing something you enjoy is one of the very best ways to nourish yourself. But even if you are employed at something that is not your ideal work, it is important to find ways to take as much pleasure in it as possible. Living in the present moment can make ordinary activities more interesting and joyful; you may be surprised, if you only look, at what you will find. If you try to stay connected with why you are doing what you are doing, for example, then even the parts of your life that aren't especially interesting can become more meaningful.”

“Out of fear, out of the desire for approval, out of the misguided notions of duty, people surrender themselves-their convictions and their aspirations-every day. There is nothing noble about it. It takes far more courage to fight for your values than to relinquish them.”

People Desire Values Fighting Duty Notion Conviction Noble Surrender Aspiration Approval Misguided

Book:Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

Source: Nathaniel Brandens Self-Esteem Every Day: Reflections on Self-Esteem and Spirituality

“Do not marry the enemy of your excitement.”

Enemy Advice Excitement

Author:Nathaniel Branden

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