For the rational, psychologically healthy man, the desire for pleasure is the desire to celebrate his control over reality. For the neurotic, the desire for pleasure is the desire to escape from reality. — 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
