Get inspired with these empowering self-love quotes
It might sound corny, but self-love really is a journey, not a destination. Put differently, it’s a practice you have to intentionally engage with in order to grow it, and self-love quotes can help nudge you in that direction when it feels difficult to approach.
In fact, you can think of self-love as a form of self-care. 'Self-care is often underrated in its impact,' Katie Krimer, L.C.S.W., a therapist at Union Square Practice in New York previously told Prevention. 'Even the smallest of gestures can help reduce overall stress, make you feel more present amidst anxiety, and remind you that you’re worth taking care of. Over time, self-care practice can improve self-worth, reduce stress, [and] increase motivation.'
From poets like Rupi Kaur to Charles Bukowski to icons like Madonna, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Oprah Winfrey, these powerful self-love quotes will help you be kind to yourself and, hopefully, eventually, achieve contentment.
Inspirational self-love quotes
'Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.'—Parker Palmer
'One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.'―Shannon L. Alder
'Don’t worry if people think you’re crazy. You are crazy. You have that kind of intoxicating insanity that lets other people dream outside of the lines and become who they’re destined to be.'―Jennifer Elisabeth
'It’s all about falling in love with yourself and sharing that love with someone who appreciates you, rather than looking for love to compensate for a self love deficit.'―Eartha Kitt
'It is interesting how often we can’t see all the ways in which we are being strong.'—Lena Dunham
'Self love is an ocean and your heart is a vessel. Make it full, and any excess will spill over into the lives of the people you hold dear. But you must come first.'―Beau Taplin
'You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.'—Buddha
'I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.'―Sylvia Plath
'Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion. Set your life on fire.'—Rumi
'I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.'—Brené Brown
'Your self-worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.'—Beyoncé
'Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.'—George R.R. Martin
'The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else.'—E.E Cummings
'Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.'—George Bernard Shaw
'This self-love is the instrument of our preservation; it resembles the provision for the perpetuity of mankind: it is necessary, it is dear to us, it gives us pleasure, and we must conceal it.'—Voltaire
'If you’re not someone who has a natural and effortless love for yourself, it’s hard to let go of your desire to please other people, and that’s really not an ingredient for a happy life.'—Anne Hathaway
'My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.'—Ruth Bader Ginsberg
'My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to find peace with exactly who and what I am. To take pride in my thoughts, my appearance, my talents, my flaws and to stop this incessant worrying that I can’t be loved as I am.'―Anaïs Nin
'There is you and you. This is a relationship. This is the most important relationship.'―Nayyirah Waheed
'Not only do self-love and love of others go hand in hand but ultimately they are indistinguishable.'―M. Scott Peck
'I must undertake to love myself and to respect myself as though my very life depends upon self-love and self-respect.'—Maya Angelou
'When you take care of yourself, you’re a better person for others. When you feel good about yourself, you treat others better.'—Solange Knowles
'Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin, as self-neglecting.'—William Shakespeare
'For me, self-love is like, ‘Am I sleeping enough? Eating well?’ Not: ‘Am I eating well to be able to fit into my skinny jeans?’ But: ‘Am I eating well to be healthy and strong?’ And to acknowledge the good, because there is always a lot of good.' —Kerry Washington
'If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.'— Marcus Garvey
'Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.'—Carl Gustav Jung
Short self-love quotes
'And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?'—Rumi
'Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.'—André Gide
'Be the love you never received.'—Rune Lazuli
'Treat yourself like someone you love.'―Glennon Doyle
'Our first and last love is self-love.'—Christian Nestell Bovee
'Wherever you go, go with all your heart.'—Confucius
'Talk to yourself like someone you love.' – Brené Brown
'Find out who you are and do it on purpose.'—Dolly Parton
'Do your thing and don’t care if they like it.'—Tina Fey
'We accept the love we think we deserve.'—Stephen Chbosky
'Gonna love myself. No, I don’t need anybody else.'—Hailee Steinfeld
'Keep taking time for yourself until you’re you again.'—Lalah Delia
'Keep watering yourself. You’re growing.'—E.Russell
'You change the world by being yourself.' —Yoko Ono
'I celebrate myself, and sing myself.'—Walt Whitman
'The universe took its time on you.'—Rupi Kaur
'Be bold, be brave enough to be your true self.'—Queen Latifah
'All love begins with the love within.'—Vironika Tugaleva
'Beauty comes from a life well lived'— Jennifer Garner
'Turn your wounds into wisdom.'—Oprah Winfrey
'All lights turned off can be turned on.'—Noah Kahan
'Plant hope in your heart’s wounds.'—Alexandra Vasiliu
'If you wish to be loved, love.'—Hecaton of Rhodes
'The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.'—Michael Altshuler
'Every exit is an entrance to someplace else.'—Patti LaBelle
'Love. Laugh. And live it up!'—Christie Brinkley
Self-love affirmations
'Love yourself. Be clear on how you want to be treated. Know your worth. Always.' – Maryam Hasnaa
'The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.'—C. JoyBell C.
'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.'—Eleanor Roosevelt
'Be healthy and take care of yourself, but be happy with the beautiful things that make you, you.'—Beyoncé
'How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.'—Rupi Kaur
'Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself - what you’re wearing, who you’re around, what you’re doing. Recreate and repeat.'—Warsan Shire
'I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.'―Madonna
'Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.'―Deborah Day
'Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.'—Sophia Loren
'Self-love has very little to do with how you feel about your outer self. It’s about accepting all of yourself.'—Tyra Banks
'It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes.'—Sally Field
'To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness.'—Robert Morely
'Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.'—Marilyn Monroe
'Just do what works for you, because there will always be somebody who thinks differently.'—Michelle Obama
'You will belong here. . .You will make anywhere beautiful.'―Jasmine Warga
'Choose, every day, to forgive yourself. You are human, flawed, and most of all worthy of love.'—Alison Malee
'The same light you see in others is shining within you, too.'—Morgan Harper Nichols
'Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! Shout loud, ‘I am lucky to be what I am!...’'—Dr. Seuss
'When you say ‘yes’ to others make sure you are not saying ‘no’ to yourself.'—Paulo Coelho
'You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible.'—Deepak Chopra
'Tell yourself how wonderful you are, how great you are. Tell yourself how much you love yourself.'—Don Miguel Ruiz
'Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.'—Henry Thoreau
'Stay true to yourself. An original is worth more than a copy.'―Suzy Kassem
'Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.'—Deborah Day
'You’ve got to love yourself first. You’ve got to be okay on your own before you can be okay with somebody else.'—Jennifer Lopez
'Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.'—Louise L. Hay
'At 54, I am still in progress, and I hope that I always will be.'—Michelle Obama
'Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.'—Toni Morrison
'I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.'—Emily Bronte
'Look inward—the loving begins with you.'—Oprah Winfrey
'But I sort of refuse to be an outsider, even though I know that I very much look like one to a lot of people, and I refuse to view myself in such terms.'—Mindy Kaling
'At the end of the day, I stand by who I am. I’m a good person.'—Taraji P. Henson
'Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible!’'—Audrey Hepburn
Happy self-love quotes
'The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.' – Oprah Winfrey
'You’ve got to love yourself first. You’ve got to be OK on your own before you can be OK with somebody else. You’ve got to value yourself and know that you’re worth everything.'—Jennifer Lopez
'As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow.'—Charlie Chaplin
'To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.'—Ralph Waldo Emerson
'To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.'—Oscar Wilde
'Love yourself unconditionally, just as you love those closest to you despite their faults.'—Les Brown
'Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.'—Lucille Ball
'In your own life it’s important to know how spectacular you are.'—Steve Maraboli
'You have to believe that your ideas, and your hope, and your being, deserve to take up space.'―Bianca Sparacino
'And I said to my body, ‘I want to be your friend.’ It took a long breath. And replied, ‘I have been waiting my whole life for this.'—Nayyirah Waheed
'I remind myself to be kind to myself, and as slightly ridiculous as it may sound, to treat myself in the same gentle way I’d want to treat a daughter of mine. It really helps.'—Emma Stone
'If we all did the things we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves.'—Thomas Edison
'By doing the work to love ourselves more, I believe we will love each other better.'—Laverne Cox
'We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.'—Mary Dunbar
'I’m safe inside this container called me.'―Haruki Murakami
'May you choose yourself, always!'―Malebo Sephodi
'I like me. I like my story and all the bumps and bruises. That’s what makes me uniquely me.'—Michelle Obama
'I am sure of myself as a person. I am sure of my talent. I’m sure of my love for life and that sort of thing. I am very content, I like the kind of person that I am.' —Dolly Parton
'The things that make me different are the things that make me.'—A.A. Milne
'Be a master at loving yourself and people will follow.'—Kim Guerra
'One of the most important things you can accomplish is just being yourself.'—Dwayne Johnson
'If you are happy, you can give happiness. If you don’t love yourself and if you are unhappy with yourself, you can’t give anything else but that.'—Gisele Bündchen
'Embrace the glorious mess that you are.'—Elizabeth Gilbert
'To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don’t wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now.'—Alan Cohen
'Sometimes I pretend to be normal. But it gets boring. So I go back to being me.'—Ain Eineziz
'Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.'—Oscar Wilde
'The more I like me, the less I want to pretend to be other people.'—Jamie Lee Curtis
'I don’t want everyone to like me; I should think less of myself if some people did.'—Henry James
'I’ve finally stopped running away from myself. Who else is there better to be?'—Goldie Hawn
'Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.'—Coco Chanel
'Friendship with oneself is all-important because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.'—Eleanor Roosevelt
'I’m all about body positivity and self-love because I believe that we can save the world if we first save ourselves.'—Lizzo
'I am stepping right into where I am with no shame, and it feels good.'—Andie MacDowell
'Instead of drifting along like a leaf in a river, understand who you are and how you come across to people, and what kind of an impact you have on the people around you and the world, so that when you go out, you can feel you have made a positive difference.'—Jane Fonda
'Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.'—Mahatma Gandhi
More self-love and confidence-boosting inspiration...
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