High school Quote by Roxane Gay
““But I also like myself, my personality, my weirdness, my sense of humor, my wild and deep romantic streak, how I love, how I write, my kindness and my mean streak. It is only now, in my forties, that I am able to admit that I like myself, even though I am nagged by this suspicion that I shouldn't. For so long, I gave in to my self.loathing. I refused to allow myself the simple pleasure of accepting who I am and how I live and love and think and see the world. But then, I got older and I cared less about what other people think. I got older and realized I was exhausted by all my self-loathing and that I was hating myself, in part, because I assumed that's what other people expected from me, as if my self-hatred was the price I needed to pay for living in an overweight body. It was much, much easier to just try and shut out all of the noise, and to try and forgive myself for the mistakes I made in high school and college and throughout my twenties, to have some empathy for why I made those mistakes.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: “Roxane Gay on Self‑Acceptance”, The Guardian, 2020
The speaker describes a journey from chronic self‑loathing to embracing her quirks, humor, and humanity, recognizing that age and self‑compassion helped silence external judgment.
In simple terms: She learns to accept herself despite flaws and past mistakes.
Key Takeaway
Embrace your whole self, flaws included.
Themes
self‑acceptance
growth
body positivity
humor
compassion
Mood
reflective
hopeful
determined
Type
personal
inspirational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal reflection
- therapy
- creative work
- social media
- relationships
Key Concepts
self‑esteem
identity
social pressure
aging
forgiveness
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you practice daily self‑compassion?
- What parts of yourself have you been taught to reject?
A Different Perspective
Self‑acceptance can be challenged by deep‑rooted trauma and societal standards.
![“Most of my favorite tweets go completely ignored but most of my favorite tweets are probably really lame or inside jokes between me and my [redacted]. See what I did there?” quote by Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8b6/roxane-gay-520_ignored_most-of-my-favorite-tweets-go-completely_106926.jpg)
