If you’re looking for inspiration on how to embrace who you really are, these quotes may be a starting point.
You are a unique result of the events you’ve experienced, the people you’ve interacted with, and the temperament you were born with.
Yet, from time to time, it’s natural to lose clarity on who that “you” is.
For one, change is a constant in life. But also, facing other people’s expectations and demands — particularly of those you love — can sometimes get in the way of embracing yourself.
Maybe that’s why American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote that “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
And here you are, en route to achieving it. We at Psych Central salute you. We honor you. And we hope these inspiring quotes are good company on your journey.
“You laugh at me because I’m different, I laugh at you because you’re all the same.”
― Jonathan Davis, singer and songwriter
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“If life is a stage and you are your own agent, then don’t hesitate to play the character you wish to play.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, author and poet
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“Once I began to realize that there were no rules and that my path didn’t have to look like everyone else’s, I relaxed and my whole world opened up.”
– G. Brian Benson, award-winning author and inspirational speaker
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“Let today be the day you stand strong in the truth of your beauty. Journey through your day without attachment to the validation of others.”
― Steve Maraboli, author and behavioral science academic
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“You’ll never know who you are unless you shed who you pretend to be.”
― Vironika Tugaleva, author, poet, and activist
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“Nobody is wired wrong because there’s no wrong and right in the way we are.”
― Hannah Hart, YouTube personality, author, and actress
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“Being yourself means shedding all the layers of looking good, wanting to be liked, being scared to stand out, and trying to be who you think people want you to be.”
― Jeff Moore, creator of Everyday Power
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“‘Whatever you did today is enough. Whatever you felt today is valid. Whatever you thought today isn’t to be judged.’ Repeat the above each day.”
― Brittany Burgunder, certified professional coach and author
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“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow.'”
— Mary Anne Radmacher, writer, artist, and workshop leader
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“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”
— Maya Angelou, legendary writer, poet, and civil rights activist
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“Kites rise high against the wind, not with it.”
― Winston Churchill, former prime minister of the United Kingdom
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“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”
— Charles R. Swindoll, evangelical Christian pastor, author, and radio personality
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“Take care not to listen to anyone who tells you what you can and can’t be in life.”
— Meg Medina, author and Newbery medalist
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“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”
— Howard Thurman, author, educator, and civil rights leader
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“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, author, peace activist, and founder of the Plum Village Tradition
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“I do not seek the approval of people who do not approve of me.”
― Maria Koszler, writer, poet, and artist
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“How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.”
― Rupi Kaur, poet and author
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“Just because you are blind and unable to see my beauty doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
― Margaret Cho, comedian, actress, and author
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“The freedom to be yourself is a gift only you can give yourself. But once you do, no one can take it away.”
― Doe Zantamata, author
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“Never apologize for burning too brightly or collapsing into yourself every night. That is how galaxies are made.”
― Tyler Kent White, writer and poet
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“You are your own teacher. Investigate yourself to find the truth ― inside, not outside. Knowing yourself is most important.”
― Ajahn Chah, Buddhist monk and teacher
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“You were born an original. Don’t die a copy.”
― John Mason, author and speaker
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“Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.”
― Nelson Mandela, revolutionary, political leader, civil rights advocate, and former South African president
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“Dance above the surface of the world. Let your thoughts lift you into creativity that is not hampered by other people’s opinion.”
― Red Haircrow, writer, psychologist, and educator
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“I challenge all of us to accept our negative traits as eagerly as we embrace our positive qualities. Ignoring our faults gives them power, understanding our shortcomings gives us the opportunity to do better ― and be better.”
― Gabe Howard, host of the Inside Mental Health podcast
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“My brown girl, love the skin you’re in. And embrace who you are within.”
― Christina Ward, Psych Central Editor
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“These lyrics in ‘Encanto‘ stand out to me: ‘What could I do if I just knew it didn’t need to be perfect? It just needed to be?’ Because it’s so true. It’s OK to just be you — no perfection needed.”
― Susanne Arthur, Psych Central Editor
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“I am a spirit, who has a soul, and lives in a body. It’s so easy to get consumed with the temporal, I like to remind myself my true nature is unseen and unmoved by the cares of this world.”
― Kristin Currin-Sheehan, Psych Central Editor
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“The power of loving and being yourself is that even if nobody else is around, you’re always in great company.”
― Sandra Silva Casabianca, Psych Central Editor
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