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Quote by David D. Burns

“What sentence will you choose to impose on yourself? Are you willing to stop suffering and making yourself miserable when your sentence has expired? This would at least be a responsible way to punish yourself because it would be time-limited.”

Quote by David D. Burns

Book:Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
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Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy is a book that delves into the causes and treatments of mood disorders. It provides readers with a wealth of information on various therapeutic approaches, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, and offers practical strategies for managing and overcoming mood-related challenges. more

Author

David D. Burns
David D. Burns

David D. Burns is an American author born in September 1942. His works primarily focus on psychology and self-help, with his most famous book being 'Feeling Good'. more

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“More often than not, the belief that you are bad contributes to the "bad" behavior. Change and learning occur most readily when you (a) recognize that an error has occurred and (b) develop a strategy for correcting the problem. An attitude of self-love and relaxation facilitates this, whereas guilt often interferes.”

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“Can you predict the future with absolute certainty? Your answer must be no. You have two options: You can either decide to accept yourself as an imperfect human being with limited knowledge and realize that you will at times make mistakes, or you can hate yourself for it.”

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“It's irrational to assume you can ever truly evaluate yourself as a good or bad human being. You will never have enough information.That "bad person" at work who torments you might be an excellent father to his kids. That other "bad person" at work who screwed up royally today? That error might later lead to a huge breakthrough. We will never have enough info to holistically evaluate a person and score them in totality as "bad" or "good."”

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“What is the point of abusing yourself with guilt in the first place? If you did make a mistake and act in a hurtful way, your guilt won't reverse your blunder in some magical manner. It won't speed your learning processes so as to reduce the chance you'll make the same mistake in the future. Other people won't love and respect you more because you are feeling guilty and putting yourself down in this manner. Nor will your guilt lead to productive living. So what's the point?”

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