“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
“Most people do not erode their self-esteem over big issues but over small ones, little acts of betrayal and hypocrisy forgotten (repressed)… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
Your choices have psychological consequences. The way you choose to deal with reality, truth, facts - your choice to honor or dishonor… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
Sometimes the subconscious mind manifests a wisdom several steps or even years ahead of the conscious mind, and has its own way… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
The natural inclination of a child is to take pleasure in the use of the mind no less than of the body.… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
To trust one's mind and to know that one is worthy of happiness is the essence of 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
If we do have realistic confidence in our mind and value, if we feel secure within ourselves, we tend to experience the… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“Throughout the world there is an awakening to the fact that, just as a human being cannot hope to realize his or… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“The idea of original sin--of guilt with no possibility of innocence, no freedom of choice, no alternatives--inherently militates against self-esteem. The very… — 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
It is generally recognized that creativity requires leisure, an absence of rush, time for the mind and imagination to float and wander… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“It is humiliating to realize that when you drive yourself underground, when you fake who you are, often you do so for… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“Self-discipline is the ability to organize your behavior over time in the service of specific goals.” — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
For the rational, psychologically healthy man, the desire for pleasure is the desire to celebrate his control over reality. For the neurotic,… — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
“Chances are, when you were young, you were told, in effect, "Listen, kid, here is the news: life is not about you.… — 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 Image
A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously. — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
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 Image
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 Image
Productive achievement is a consequence and an expression of health, self-esteem, not its cause — Nathaniel Branden Copy Share Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
“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 Image
