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Nathaniel Branden

Nathaniel Branden Quotes

Psychotherapist

Nathaniel Branden was a renowned psychotherapist and author, best known for his contributions to the fields of personal growth and self-actualization. His work has had a profound impact on modern psychology, particularly in the areas of self-psychology and emotional intelligence.

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Famous Nathaniel Branden Quotes

“It is not only negative feelings that become blocked. The repression extends to more and more of his emotional capacity.When one is given an anesthetic in preparation for surgery, it is not merely the capacity to experience pain that is suspended; the capacity to experience pleasure goes also - because what is blocked is the capacity to experience *feeling*. The same principle applies to the repression of emotions." Chapter 1: Discovering the Unknown Self, pg. 9, Bantam Edition, 1984”

Emotion Psychology Repression

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“We are parts of one universe, true enough. We stand within an almost infinite network of relationships. Yet each of us is a single point of consciousness, a unique event, a private, unrepeatable world. This is the essence of our aloneness.”

Humanity Individual Psychology Self Esteem Individuality

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“The challenge for people today--and it is not and easy one--is to maintain high personal standards even while feeling that one is living in a moral sewer.”

Evil Freedom Virtue Psychology Society Self Esteem Morality Self Knowledge Immorality

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“One of the great self-deceptions--and one of the great foolishnesses--is to tell yourself, Only I will know. Only you will know that you are a liar; only you will know you deal unethically with people who trust you; only you will know you have no intention of honoring your promise. Whose knowledge or judgment do you imagine is more important? It is precisely your own ego from which there is no escape.”

Responsibility Psychology Self Esteem Self Respect Self Knowledge

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“Self-discipline is the ability to organize your behavior over time in the service of specific goals.”

Life Purpose Psychology Self Esteem Health Discipline Mental Health Productive

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“It is humiliating to realize that when you drive yourself underground, when you fake who you are, often you do so for people you do not even like or respect.”

Psychology Self Esteem Integrity Mask Hide

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“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 signalled others that it is not necessary to treat them with respect.”

Psychology Self Esteem Victimhood Abuse Recovery People Pleaser

Book:Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

Source: Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

“Genuine self esteem – please understand this – genuine self esteem is not competitive or comparative. Genuine self esteem isn’t expressed by self-glorification at the expense of others, or by trying to make yourself superior to everyone else, or diminishing others in order to elevate yourself. Arrogance, boastfulness, the overestimation of your abilities, reflect low self esteem, even though we’re often encouraged to believe the opposite. In human beings, joy in the simple fact of existence is a core meaning of healthy self esteem. Thus understood, how can you possibly have too much of it?”

Psychology Self Esteem Competition Mental Health Self Knowledge Unhealthy

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“It is a mistake to look at someone who is self assertive and say, "It's easy for her, she has good self-esteem." One of the ways you build self-esteem is by being self-assertive when it is not easy to do so. There are always times when self-assertiveness requires courage, no matter how high your self-esteem.”

Psychology Self Esteem Self Knowledge Assertiveness

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“The opposite of self-assertiveness is self-abnegation--abandoning or submerging your personal values, judgment, and interests. Some people tell themselves this is a virtue. It is a "virtue" that corrodes self-esteem.”

Psychology Self Esteem Assertiveness

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“Out of fear, out of the desire for approval, out of 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.”

Psychology Self Esteem Cowardice

Author:Nathaniel Branden

“All positive interactions with other human beings involve, to some degree, the experience of visibility-- that is, the experience of being seen and understood.”

Relationships Friendship Psychology Self Esteem Healthy Self Knowledge

Author:Nathaniel Branden