Our self-esteem is closely linked with our self-perception. Esteem, both in oneself and in the form of respect and recognition from others, falls on the fourth level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and is the last level before self-actualization. High self-esteem stems from feeling secure and confident in our merit and abilities. Research has shown that people with high self-esteem are likely to enjoy more academic and professional success in addition to better mental and physical health and social relationships.
It’s natural to compare our abilities and achievements to those of other people, but building our self-esteem requires dismissing those comparisons to focus on our own self-respect and self-worth. Achieving a strong, positive sense of our own value means feeling assured that we’re living authentically and pursuing the life we deserve.
If your self-esteem could use a boost, we hope these encouraging quotes will remind you there’s no one else in the world like you. As Lucille Ball said, “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.”
A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.Mark Twain
The more I like me, the less I want to pretend to be other people.Jamie Lee Curtis
Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate him.Bruce Lee
I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence.Frederick Douglass
I never loved another person the way I loved myself.Mae West
The point is not to take the world’s opinion as a guiding star but to go one’s way in life and work unerringly, neither depressed by failure nor seduced by applause.Gustav Mahler
If we value ourselves, we are likely to believe that we are worth whatever effort we need to make for ourselves.M. Scott Peck
As long as you take every opportunity to learn more about yourself and fall more in love with yourself every day, you’re doing good.Zendaya
Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s self-esteem.Melody Beattie
My own opinion is really important to me. It starts and stops there.Lana Del Rey
Never bend your head, always hold it high and look the whole world straight in the face.Helen Keller
Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.Harvey Fierstein
Self-esteem is the reputation we acquire with ourselves.Nathaniel Branden
You don’t get taken seriously by asking someone to take you seriously. You’ve got to show up and own it.Sophia Amoruso
Taking pride in who we are and what we bring to the table is the greatest joy of them all, and it can not be compared to what somebody else does.Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Featured image credit: marekuliasz/ Shutterstock
