It is painful to face the self we know we have never had the integrity to honor and assert. — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
Self-acceptance is my refusal to be in an adversarial relationship to myself. — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
Where we see self esteem, we see self acceptance. High self esteem individual tend to avoid falling into an adversarial relationship with… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
In any culture, subculture, or family in which belief is valued above thought, and self-surrender is valued above self-expression, and conformity is… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“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.… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
It is naive to think that self-assertiveness is easy. To live self-assertively--which means to live authentically--is an act of high courage. That… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
The greatest barrier to achievement and success is not lack of talent or ability but rather the feeling that achievement and success,… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
Your life is important. Whether you achieve what you want in life matters. Whether you are happy matters. Honor and fight for… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
A well-developed sense of self is a necessary if not sufficient condition of your well-being. Its presence does not guarantee fulfillment, but… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
If you are an adult, you are responsible for your life and well-being. No one owes you the fulfillment of your needs… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“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… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
Stressing the practice of living purposefully as essential to fully realized self-esteem is not equivalent to measuring an individual's worth by his… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
It is impressive to see a person who has been battered by life in many ways, who is torn by a variety… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“If I respect myself and require that others deal with me respectfully, I send out signals and behave in ways that increase… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
Positive self-esteem operates as, in effect, the immune system of the consciousness, providing resistance, strength, and a capacity for regeneration. When self-esteem… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“Genuine self esteem – please understand this – genuine self esteem is not competitive or comparative. Genuine self esteem isn’t expressed by… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“A person who is brilliantly talented and successful at work but irrational and irresponsible in his or her private life may want… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously. — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
What a great teacher, a great parent, a great psychotherapist and a great coach have in common is a deep belief in the potential… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
If we are happy within ourselves, we don't accept or demand that our partner should fulfill every need. We need to be comfortable with… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
Productive achievement is a consequence and an expression of health, self-esteem, not its cause — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
Faith is the commitment of one's consciousness to beliefs for which one has no sensory evidence or rational proof. When man rejects reason as… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
In the nature of our existence, we must act to achieve values. And in order to act appropriately, we need to value the beneficiary… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
I cannot remember a time when the question of why people behave as they do was not intensely interesting to me. The desire to… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
Suppose you feel you cannot accept some fact about yourself. Then own your refusal to accept. Own the block. Embrace it fully. And watch… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
“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… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
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.… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
It would be hard to name a more certain sign of poor self-esteem than the need to perceive some other group as inferior. — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
When we bury our feelings, we also bury ourselves. It means we exist in a state of alienation. We rarely know it, but we… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share
