--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Living consciously implies that my first…" description: "\"“Living consciously implies that my first loyalty is to truth, not to making myself right.”\" — Nathaniel Branden" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/nathaniel-branden-2125_consciously_living-consciously-implies-that-my-first_1490731.png" --- # Living consciously implies that my first loyalty is to… ![“Living consciously implies that my first loyalty is to truth, not to making myself right.” quote by Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/nathaniel-branden-2125_consciously_living-consciously-implies-that-my-first_1490731.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/nathaniel-branden-2125_consciously_living-consciously-implies-that-my-first_1490731.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/nathaniel-branden-2125_consciously_living-consciously-implies-that-my-first_1490731.png) > ““Living consciously implies that my first loyalty is to truth, not to making myself right.”” [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living truthfully means prioritizing reality over personal ego, seeking honesty rather than self‑justification. **In simple terms:** Truth over ego. Key Takeaway Choose honesty. Themes integrity self‑awareness truthfulness Mood reflective serious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - personal decision - conflict resolution - leadership - ethical debates Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle facts that threaten your self‑image? - When have you chosen truth over being right? A Different Perspective Truth can be uncomfortable and may challenge relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Living consciously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-consciously/) [Loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“Sentence Completions to Facilitate the Art of Living Consciously”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/sentence-completions-to-facilitate-the-art-of-living-consciously/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Living consciously is seeking to be aware of everything that bears on our interests, actions, values, purposes, and goals. It is the willingness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/living-consciously-is-seeking-to-be-aware-of-everything-that-bears-on/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Living consciously reflects the conviction that sight is preferable to blindness; that respecting the facts of reality is more satisfying than denying them; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/living-consciously-reflects-the-conviction-that-sight-is-preferable/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Vegetarianism is a way of living consciously on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-smart/vegetarianism-is-a-way-of-living-consciously-on-the-planet/) [Amy Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-smart/) > [Living consciously involves being genuine; it involves listening and responding to others honestly and openly; it involves being in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-poitier/living-consciously-involves-being-genuine-it-involves-listening-and/) [Sidney Poitier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-poitier/) > [The most basic activism we can have in our lives is to live consciously in a nation living in fantasies. Living consciously is living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/the-most-basic-activism-we-can-have-in-our-lives-is-to-live/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [If someone is passed out they're not even WITH you consciously! so WITH implies consent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cee-lo-green/if-someone-is-passed-out-they-re-not-even-with-you-consciously-so/) [Cee Lo Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cee-lo-green/) > [No living orator would convince a grocer that coffee should be sold without chicory; and no amount of eloquence will make an English lawyer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/no-living-orator-would-convince-a-grocer-that-coffee-should-be-sold/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Courage and kindness, loyalty, truth, and helpfulness are always the same and always needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingalls-wilder/courage-and-kindness-loyalty-truth-and-helpfulness-are-always-the/) [Laura Ingalls Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingalls-wilder/) > [No matter how many times you have been cheated by your loved ones, without your knowledge… if you doubt on them... dont enquire them...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-felix-prabhu/no-matter-how-many-times-you-have-been-cheated-by-your-loved-ones/) [Leo Felix Prabhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-felix-prabhu/) > [I believe that there is something far nobler than loyalty to any particular man. Loyalty to the truth as we perceive it - loyalty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/i-believe-that-there-is-something-far-nobler-than-loyalty-to-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Loyalty to the President is great, but loyalty to truth, integrity, and country is even better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/loyalty-to-the-president-is-great-but-loyalty-to-truth-integrity-and/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [“I seek a woman, the woman of my desires. Who won’t be scared by loyalty and truth, nor turn away from the darkness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-de-gandt/i-seek-a-woman-the-woman-of-my-desires-who-won-t-be-scared-by-loyalty/) [Anne de Gandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-de-gandt/) > [Life may be given in many ways, and loyalty to truth be sealed as bravely in the closet as the field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/life-may-be-given-in-many-ways-and-loyalty-to-truth-be-sealed-as/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) ## More by Nathaniel Branden > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [What a great teacher, a great parent, a great psychotherapist and a great coach have in common is a deep belief in the potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/what-a-great-teacher-a-great-parent-a-great-psychotherapist-and-a/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/if-we-are-happy-within-ourselves-we-don-t-accept-or-demand-that-our/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [The world belongs to those who persevere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/the-world-belongs-to-those-who-persevere/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Productive achievement is a consequence and an expression of health, self-esteem, not its cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/productive-achievement-is-a-consequence-and-an-expression-of-health/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/faith-is-the-commitment-of-one-s-consciousness-to-beliefs-for-which/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [In the nature of our existence, we must act to achieve values. And in order to act appropriately, we need to value the beneficiary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/in-the-nature-of-our-existence-we-must-act-to-achieve-values-and-in/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [I cannot remember a time when the question of why people behave as they do was not intensely interesting to me. The desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/i-cannot-remember-a-time-when-the-question-of-why-people-behave-as/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Suppose you feel you cannot accept some fact about yourself. Then own your refusal to accept. Own the block. Embrace it fully. And watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/suppose-you-feel-you-cannot-accept-some-fact-about-yourself-then-own/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Doing more of what doesn't work doesn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/doing-more-of-what-doesn-t-work-doesn-t-work/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/out-of-fear-out-of-the-desire-for-approval-out-of-misguided-notions/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [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.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/if-you-overcome-your-fear-to-ask-someone-for-a-date-a-raise-or-help/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [It would be hard to name a more certain sign of poor self-esteem than the need to perceive some other group as inferior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/it-would-be-hard-to-name-a-more-certain-sign-of-poor-self-esteem-than/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [When we bury our feelings, we also bury ourselves. It means we exist in a state of alienation. We rarely know it, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/when-we-bury-our-feelings-we-also-bury-ourselves-it-means-we-exist-in/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Explore all 183 Nathaniel Branden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) ## More Consciously quotes > [“The only sure path is to live consciously, moment to moment, as you let go of the outcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-kasl/the-only-sure-path-is-to-live-consciously-moment-to-moment-as-you-let/) Charlotte Kasl > [When you do not consciously relate to your body, your mind does not relate consciously to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/when-you-do-not-consciously-relate-to-your-body-your-mind-does-not/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [I think that our work and our music stands on its own without this knowledge about our identity around it. But I also think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hopkins/i-think-that-our-work-and-our-music-stands-on-its-own-without-this/) [Ben Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hopkins/) > [I never consciously set out to model myself after Upton Sinclair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/i-never-consciously-set-out-to-model-myself-after-upton-sinclair/) [Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/) > [Enlightenment doesn't mean you know anything. It doesn't mean you don't know anything. It means that you've returned to the source, consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightenment-doesn-t-mean-you-know-anything-it-doesn-t-mean-you-don/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Consciously or subconsciously, we become slaves to debt and social obligation. As a result, we end up more committed to the minutia and less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romany-malco/consciously-or-subconsciously-we-become-slaves-to-debt-and-social/) [Romany Malco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romany-malco/) > [“Something in us recognizes magic when we encounter it. Whether we believe in it consciously or not. It affects us and the choices we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffe-kennedy/something-in-us-recognizes-magic-when-we-encounter-it-whether-we/) Jeffe Kennedy > [“When you consciously choose to do what you love, life becomes a pleasure and ceases to be a chore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/when-you-consciously-choose-to-do-what-you-love-life-becomes-a/) [Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/) > [It is often tragic to see how blatantly a man bungles his own life and the lives of others yet remains totally incapable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-often-tragic-to-see-how-blatantly-a-man-bungles-his-own-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Whatever we become in life we either "let happen" or we consciously CREATE to be. One puts you in a VICTIM pit, the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-mitchell/whatever-we-become-in-life-we-either-let-happen-or-we-consciously/) Tina Mitchell > [I am consciously selective of the work that I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mithila-palkar/i-am-consciously-selective-of-the-work-that-i-do/) [Mithila Palkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mithila-palkar/) > [“The Matrix can feel like a pretty hopeless place. I get that. Nobody in his or her right mind (a tiny minority, admittedly) wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/the-matrix-can-feel-like-a-pretty-hopeless-place-i-get-that-nobody-in/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [It is important for us consciously to say, or claim, only the things we want rather than what we do not want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-l-johnson/it-is-important-for-us-consciously-to-say-or-claim-only-the-things-we/) [Darren L Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-l-johnson/) > [“YOU are becoming a new species. The vibrations in and around you are increasing in speed. YOU are all adjusting to these higher dimensional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-seiler/you-are-becoming-a-new-species-the-vibrations-in-and-around-you-are/) [Elaine Seiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-seiler/) > [“We need to learn how to live consciously and, trusting ourselves, purposefully on that inevitable balance point between form and emptiness, relative and absolute,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lama-surya-das/we-need-to-learn-how-to-live-consciously-and-trusting-ourselves/) [Lama Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lama-surya-das/) Browse all 197 Consciously quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Living consciously implies that my first loyalty is to truth, not to making myself right.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Branden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/living-consciously-implies-that-my-first-loyalty-is-to-truth-not-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Consciously" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/living-consciously-implies-that-my-first-loyalty-is-to-truth-not-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/nathaniel-branden-2125_consciously_living-consciously-implies-that-my-first_1490731.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/nathaniel-branden-2125_consciously_living-consciously-implies-that-my-first_1490731.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/nathaniel-branden-2125_consciously_living-consciously-implies-that-my-first_1490731.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Living consciously implies that my first loyalty is to truth, not to making myself right.” — Nathaniel Branden", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nathaniel Branden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Living consciously implies that my first...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/living-consciously-implies-that-my-first-loyalty-is-to-truth-not-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/living-consciously-implies-that-my-first-loyalty-is-to-truth-not-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```