--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The desire for self-esteem without…" description: "\"The desire for self-esteem without integrity is like the desire for wealth without effort-a longing for the unearned.\" — Nathaniel Branden" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/nathaniel-branden-2125_desire_the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integ_1345450.png" --- # The desire for self-esteem without integrity is like the… ![“The desire for self-esteem without integrity is like the desire for wealth without effort-a longing for the unearned.” quote by Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/nathaniel-branden-2125_desire_the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integ_1345450.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/nathaniel-branden-2125_desire_the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integ_1345450.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/nathaniel-branden-2125_desire_the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integ_1345450.png) > “The desire for self-esteem without integrity is like the desire for wealth without effort-a longing for the unearned.” [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. Seeking self-esteem without integrity is as futile as wanting wealth without effort. **In simple terms:** Integrity is essential for true self-esteem. Key Takeaway Cultivate integrity first. Themes self-esteem integrity wealth Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - personal development - goal setting - financial planning - null Key Concepts ethical consistency self-worth Questions to Reflect On - Can you think of a time integrity was compromised? - What steps can you take to align values and actions? A Different Perspective Integrity is hard to maintain under pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [Everything sells. Like integrity. Like democracy. Like truth. Like deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weber/everything-sells-like-integrity-like-democracy-like-truth-like-deeds/) [Steven Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weber/) > [When all the scaffolding is removed it is our integrity that both defines us and identifies us. Men of integrity are like the Rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-r-callister/when-all-the-scaffolding-is-removed-it-is-our-integrity-that-both/) [Tad R. Callister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-r-callister/) > [We’re all good when it suits us, he used to say: that doesn’t count. It’s when you want so badly to do something wrong—when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/we-re-all-good-when-it-suits-us-he-used-to-say-that-doesn-t-count-it/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [Integrity, like humility, is a quality which vanishes the moment we are conscious of it in ourselves. We see it only in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/integrity-like-humility-is-a-quality-which-vanishes-the-moment-we-are/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Integrity is the very core of our being. It is who we really are. When all the scaffolding is removed, it is our integrity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-r-callister/integrity-is-the-very-core-of-our-being-it-is-who-we-really-are-when/) [Tad R. Callister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-r-callister/) > [“So how do you know whether a person has integrity? After all, like the foundation of a house, it may not be visible at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-moody/so-how-do-you-know-whether-a-person-has-integrity-after-all-like-the/) [Van Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-moody/) > [“We must hide our integrity, like we hide our love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ur-ananthamurthy/we-must-hide-our-integrity-like-we-hide-our-love/) UR Ananthamurthy > [“Your integrity is like a sword, he would say: you shouldn't wave it until you're about to put it to the test.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/your-integrity-is-like-a-sword-he-would-say-you-shouldn-t-wave-it/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [The desire for self-expression afflicts people when they feel there is something of themselves which is not getting through to the outside world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/the-desire-for-self-expression-afflicts-people-when-they-feel-there/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Desire consumes you, it takes you over. You forget yourself completely. All you can think about is the other, the one you desire, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/desire-consumes-you-it-takes-you-over-you-forget-yourself-completely/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“An almost infallible means of saving yourself from the desire of self-destruction is always to have something to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/an-almost-infallible-means-of-saving-yourself-from-the-desire-of-self/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I am a warrior What I fight against is sensual gratification. I am a killer What I kill is ego. I am a destroyer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abishek-bikram-shah/i-am-a-warrior-what-i-fight-against-is-sensual-gratification-i-am-a/) Abishek Bikram Shah > [I claim that every woman in this century and in our culture sphere who has ventured into male-dominated institutions - 'literature' and 'aesthetics' are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-wolf/i-claim-that-every-woman-in-this-century-and-in-our-culture-sphere/) [Christa Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-wolf/) > [The desire to be self-supporting and financially independent is a divine desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ponder/the-desire-to-be-self-supporting-and-financially-independent-is-a/) [Catherine Ponder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ponder/) > [I have come to realize that in every person there is something fine and pure and noble, along with a desire for self-fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/i-have-come-to-realize-that-in-every-person-there-is-something-fine/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) ## 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 Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The desire for self-esteem without integrity is like the desire for wealth without effort-a longing for the unearned.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Branden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integrity-is-like-the-desire-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integrity-is-like-the-desire-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/nathaniel-branden-2125_desire_the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integ_1345450.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/nathaniel-branden-2125_desire_the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integ_1345450.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc8/nathaniel-branden-2125_desire_the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integ_1345450.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The desire for self-esteem without integrity is like the desire for wealth without effort-a longing for the…” — 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": "The desire for self-esteem without integrity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integrity-is-like-the-desire-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/the-desire-for-self-esteem-without-integrity-is-like-the-desire-for/#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 } } ] } ```