Inspirational Quotes
Words to motivate, inspire, and guide you.
Brene Brown Quotes
BoundariesWork-Life BalancePrioritization One thing that I tell people all the time is, 'I'm not going to answer a call from you after nine o'clock at night or before nine o'clock in the morning unless it's an emergency.'
AuthenticityConnectionTrustVulnerabilityTime Live-tweeting your bikini wax is not vulnerability. Nor is posting a blow-by-blow of your divorce . That's an attempt to hot-wire connection. But you can't cheat real connection. It's built up slowly. It's about trust and time.
CommunicationPartnershipChangeSelf-ProtectionStruggle Normally, when someone we love is turning away from a struggle, we self-protect by also turning away. That's definitely my first response. I think change is more likely to happen if both partners have common language and a shared lens to see problems.
PerfectionismGrowthAchievement Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be our best. Perfectionism is not about healthy achievement and growth; it's a shield.
JoyHappinessWholeheartednessExperience I've learned that men and women who are living wholehearted lives really allow themselves to soften into joy and happiness. They allow themselves to experience it.
HappinessGratitudeMindfulnessSimplicity I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude.
BusynessBack to SchoolWorkAutumn In many ways, September feels like the busiest time of the year: The kids go back to school, work piles up after the summer's dog days, and Thanksgiving is suddenly upon us.
PerfectionismApprovalAcceptance Many people think of perfectionism as striving to be your best, but it is not about self-improvement; it's about earning approval and acceptance.
LoveBelongingHuman NeedsWell-beingEmotional Health A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically, and spiritually wired to love, to be loved, and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don't function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick.
ImperfectionStruggleWorthLoveBelonging You're imperfect, and you're wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.
Role ModelingIntegrityKindnessParenting First and foremost, we need to be the adults we want our children to be. We should watch our own gossiping and anger. We should model the kindness we want to see.
UniquenessTransformationEmotionForgivenessHuman Condition As unique as we all are, an awful lot of us want the same things. We want to shake up our current less-than-fulfilling lives. We want to be happier, more loving, forgiving and connected with the people around us.
CompassionResilienceAcceptanceStrengths and Struggles When we're looking for compassion, we need someone who is deeply rooted, is able to bend and, most of all, embraces us for our strengths and struggles.
ParentingUncertaintyEmotionChallenge The uncertainty of parenting can bring up feelings in us that range from frustration to terror.
ConnectionSelf-WorthAuthenticityCourageBelonging Vulnerability is the birthplace of connection and the path to the feeling of worthiness. If it doesn't feel vulnerable, the sharing is probably not constructive.
HumanityEmpathyConnection I think if you follow anyone home, whether they live in Houston or London, and you sit at their dinner table and talk to them about their mother who has cancer or their child who is struggling in school, and their fears about watching their lives go by, I think we're all the same.
ConnectionVulnerabilityExternal OpinionSelf-Perception When you stop caring what people think, you lose your capacity for connection. When you're defined by it, you lose our capacity for vulnerability.
VulnerabilityFearHappinessRiskEmotion As a vulnerability researcher, the greatest barrier I see is our low tolerance for vulnerability. We're almost afraid to be happy. We feel like it's inviting disaster.
Social MediaFriendship QualityExpectationTrue FriendsLuck Social media has given us this idea that we should all have a posse of friends when in reality, if we have one or two really good friends, we are lucky.
CourageAccountabilityHonestyIntegrityBravery Anonymous comments? You're not in the arena, man. If you can't say it to me in person in front of my kids, don't say it.
ShameSelf-WorthInadequacyEmotional PowerPersonal Struggle Shame is the most powerful, master emotion. It's the fear that we're not good enough.
Self-AcceptanceNon-ConformityIdentityIndividuality In my research, I've interviewed a lot of people who never fit in, who are what you might call 'different': scientists, artists, thinkers. And if you drop down deep into their work and who they are, there is a tremendous amount of self-acceptance.
HumilityCourageGrowthExplorationExperience I'm not a parenting expert. In fact, I'm not sure that I even believe in the idea of 'parenting experts.' I'm an engaged, imperfect parent and a passionate researcher. I'm an experienced mapmaker and a stumbling traveler. Like many of you, parenting is by far my boldest and most daring adventure.
Self-LoveBoundariesCourage Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.
LoveBelongingSelf-WorthPotential When you get to a place where you understand that love and belonging, your worthiness, is a birthright and not something you have to earn, anything is possible.
VulnerabilityRelationshipTrustEmotional Connection Through my research, I found that vulnerability is the glue that holds relationships together. It's the magic sauce.
AuthenticitySelf-acceptanceIdentityCourage What's the greater risk? Letting go of what people think - or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?
GuiltShameInfluenceCourageEngagement Guilt is just as powerful, but its influence is positive, while shame's is destructive. Shame erodes our courage and fuels disengagement.
VulnerabilityTime Management The moment someone asks you to do something you don't have the time or inclination to do is fraught with vulnerability.
VulnerabilityCourageAuthenticityFear Vulnerability is about showing up and being seen. It's tough to do that when we're terrified about what people might see or think.
Emotional IntelligenceCommunicationSelf-awarenessCoping Skills Kids who have an understanding of how and why their feelings are what they are are much more likely to talk to us about what's happening, and they have better skills to work it out.
FaithVulnerabilityMysteryDogma Faith minus vulnerability and mystery equals extremism. If you've got all the answers, then don't call what you do 'faith.'
Societal ExpectationsMasculinityVulnerabilityStrength Men walk this tightrope where any sign of weakness illicits shame, and so they're afraid to make themselves vulnerable for fear of looking weak.
VulnerabilityUncertaintyGrowthAcceptance I spent a lot of years trying to outrun or outsmart vulnerability by making things certain and definite, black and white, good and bad. My inability to lean into the discomfort of vulnerability limited the fullness of those important experiences that are wrought with uncertainty: Love, belonging, trust, joy, and creativity to name a few.
GuiltBehaviorValueSelf-reflection I'm just going to say it: I'm pro-guilt. Guilt is good. Guilt helps us stay on track because it's about our behavior. It occurs when we compare something we've done - or failed to do - with our personal values.
Self-WorthRelationshipAcceptanceVulnerabilityPersonal Growth I carry a small sheet of paper in my wallet that has written on it the names of people whose opinions of me matter. To be on that list, you have to love me for my strengths and struggles.
WholeheartednessVulnerabilityEmbracing PainWorthinessAuthenticity I think our capacity for wholeheartedness can never be greater than our willingness to be broken-hearted. It means engaging with the world from a place of vulnerability and worthiness.
CompassionAuthenticitySelf-WorthBalance It's hard to practice compassion when we're struggling with our authenticity or when our own worthiness is off-balance.
EmpathySelf-CompassionConnectionSupportPersonal Growth I've learned a lot since I was a new mother. My approach to struggle and shame now is to talk to yourself like you'd talk to someone you love and reach out to tell your story.
ParentingShame ResiliencePersonal Growth My husband's a pediatrician, so he and I talk about parenting all the time. You can't raise children who have more shame resilience than you do.
LeadershipAccountabilityPotentialSustainability To me, a leader is someone who holds her- or himself accountable for finding potential in people and processes. And so what I think is really important is sustainability.
ShameCourageReaching Out As a shame researcher, I know that the very best thing to do in the midst of a shame attack is totally counterintuitive: Practice courage and reach out!
StressBurnoutFear of Missing OutTechnologyBalance We use work to numb out. We can't turn off our machines because we're afraid we're going to miss something.
BusynessNumbingSelf-awareness 'Crazy-busy' is a great armor, it's a great way for numbing. What a lot of us do is that we stay so busy, and so out in front of our life, that the truth of how we're feeling and what we really need can't catch up with us.
Modeling BehaviorInfluenceSelf-AwarenessTeaching by Example I can encourage my daughter to love her body, but what really matters are the observations she makes about my relationship with my own body.
Race RelationsPrivilegeShameSocial DynamicsGuilt You cannot talk about race without talking about privilege. And when people start talking about privilege, they get paralyzed by shame.
CourageSupportTrustVulnerabilityMarriage The best marriages are the ones where we can go out in the world and really put ourselves out there. A lot of times we'll fail, and sometimes we'll pull it off. But good marriages are when you can go home and know that your vulnerability will be honored as courage, and that you'll find support.