What if the most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself? Whether you need a daily positive affirmation or an empowering message to get you through difficult times, self-love quotes from bestselling authors will help you embrace your true self.
We have hand-picked 104 quotes on self-love from top-rated books on self-help and personal growth that you can read or listen to in under 15 minutes. Ready to build up self-confidence and improve self-esteem with empowering self-help book summaries? Download the Headway app to track your own self-care journey and celebrate your self-worth with expert guides.
Quotes for accepting yourself
Self-love is the ultimate form of self-care and self-respect. It positively affects your mental health and emotional well-being. Here are some inspirational quotes to show you the undeniable power of self-acceptance:
"Belonging doesn't require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are." Brené Brown, 'The Gifts of Imperfection'
Explore more in the summary of 'The Gifts of Imperfection' by Brené Brown on the Headway app.
2 "You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." — Buddha
"If you have the ability to love, love yourself first, but always be aware of the possibility of total defeat whether the reason for that defeat seems right or wrong." — Charles Bukowski
"To love yourself is to understand you don't need to be perfect to be worthy of love." — C. Joybell C.
"Find out who you are and do it on purpose." — Dolly Parton
"The first step to self-love is to accept yourself fully, just as you are, and to know that you are enough." — Rune Lazuli
"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
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." ― Oscar Wilde
"You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful." — Amy Bloom
"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change." — Carl Rogers
"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are."— Marilyn Monroe
"The greatest act of self-love is to no longer accept a life you are unhappy with." — Brianna Wiest, 'The Mountain Is You'
Read or listen to the full summary of 'The Mountain Is You' by Brianna Wiest on the Headway app.
13 "Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval." — Lao Tzu
"Accept who you are; and revel in it." — Mitch Albom
"The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely." — Carl Jung
"I am defined as other in every group I'm part of. Yet without community, there is certainly no liberation." — Audre Lorde
"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." — Sharon Salzberg
"The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you." ― Stephanie Perkins
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." — Dr. Seuss
"The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else." — E.E. Cummings
"Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence." — Rosalynn Carter
"Remind yourself that you cannot fail at being yourself." — Wayne Dyer
"Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them; but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight." — Helen Keller
"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths." — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
"The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself." — Mark Twain
"Take care of yourself, and that is love that will always be there." — Dolly Alderton, 'Everything I Know About Love'
Uncover the meaningful truths about the various forms of love in the summary of 'Everything I Know About Love' by Dolly Alderton on the Headway app.
Quotes for building confidence
Need that extra push to reach a 100% confidence level? Below are the most encouraging and empowering confidence quotes from top self-care experts, leaders, and motivational speakers to help you get there:
27 "The best thing we can do with the failures of the past is to let them be history." — Gary D. Chapman, 'The 5 Love Languages'
Learn more about different love languages in the summary of 'The 5 Love Languages' by Gary D. Chapman on the Headway app.
28 "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." — Dolly Parton
"Do one thing every day that scares you." — Eleanor Roosevelt
"The most important relationship in your life is the relationship you have with yourself. Because no matter what happens, you will always be with yourself." — Diane von Furstenberg
"You become what you believe, not what you think or what you want." — Oprah Winfrey
"The thoughts we choose to think are the tools we use to paint the canvas of our lives." — Louise Hay
"I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done." — Lucille Ball
"The most alluring thing a woman can have is confidence." — Beyoncé
"At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets." ― Steve Maraboli
"When your mind and heart are truly open, abundance will flow to you effortlessly and easily." — Deepak Chopra
"Believe you can and you're halfway there." — Theodore Roosevelt
"Life is tough, my darling, but so are you." — Stephanie Bennett-Henry
"A generous heart is always open, always ready to receive our going and coming." — Bell Hooks, 'All About Love'
Read or listen to more in a bite-sized summary of 'All About Love' by Bell Hooks on the Headway app.
40 "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." — Maya Angelou
"Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." — A.A. Milne
"The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself." — Orison Swett Marden
"You can have anything you want if you are willing to give up the belief that you can't have it." — Robert Anthony
"Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong."
— Peter T. Mcintyre"Confidence is not 'they will like me.' Confidence is 'I'll be fine if they don't.'"— Christine Morgan
"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." — William James
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." — C.S. Lewis
"It always seems impossible until it's done." — Nelson Mandela
"You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you." — Brian Tracy
"We make the world we live in and shape our own environment." — Orison Swett Marden
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." — Wayne Gretzky
"You change your life when you can love yourself even though you don’t look exactly the way you want to." — Brianna Wiest, 'The Mountain Is You'
Discover secrets of happiness and self-growth in the full summary of 'The Mountain Is You' by Brianna Wiest on the Headway app.
Quotes for letting go and healing
When you're at peace with yourself, you can cope with any challenge life throws at you. Find comfort in healing quotes from the greats:
53 "Your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages." — Michelle Obama, 'Becoming'
Get more details in the full summary of 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama on the Headway app.
54 "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." — Buddha
"I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do." — Brené Brown
"You will be your best self when you take time to understand what you really need, feel and want." — Deborah Day
"Pain and suffering are most often the gateways and the initiation into our higher selves and higher purpose." — Lalah Delia
"Being brave enough to be alone frees you up to invite people into your life because you want them and not because you need them." — Mandy Hale
"Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form." — Rumi
"The only person you really have control over is yourself." ― Deborah Reber
"Healing is not an overnight process. It is a daily cleansing of pain, a daily healing of your life." — Leon Brown
"Just be yourself. But be all of you." — Jack Can
"Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but learning to start over." — Nicole Sobon
"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." — Mark Twain
"We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions." — Brené Brown, 'The Gifts of Imperfection'
Find out more in the full summary of 'The Gifts of Imperfection' by Brené Brown on the Headway app.
66 "We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated." — Maya Angelou
"Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny." — Steve Maraboli
Healing comes when we choose to walk away from darkness and move toward a brighter light." — Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Grief is the price we pay for love." — Queen Elizabeth II
"Sometimes we must release the life we've planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us." — Joseph Campbell
"Every moment is a fresh beginning." — T. S. Eliot
"The best way out is always through." — Robert Frost
"You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be." — Marianne Williamson
"Save your energy for the tasks which nobody else can do easily but you." — Pooja Agnihotri
"Go forward and fulfill your dream." ― Lailah Gifty Akita
"Sometimes all it takes is one person to speak their truth. Speak yours." ― Catherine Louise Birmingham
"You are not powerful because you can change the world. You are powerful because you have the ability to withstand it."― Cave Man
"Love saves us only if we want to be saved." — Bell Hooks, 'All About Love'
Learn more about the all-healing power of love in the book summary of 'All About Love' by Bell Hooks on the Headway app.
Quotes for everyday affirmations
You're the only person who can lift your own spirit and convince yourself that your feelings matter. Use the following self-love quotes as a gentle reminder to be kind to yourself and start your day with positive vibes:
79 "I enjoy knowing that my choices won’t be acceptable to everyone." — Mikki Kendall, 'Hood Feminism'
Explore the intersection of race, gender, and identity in the summary of 'Hood Feminism' by Mikki Kendall on the Headway app.
80 "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 lifelong romance." — Oscar Wilde
"You must want to spend the rest of your life with yourself first." — Rupi Kaur
"A day without laughter is a day wasted." — Charlie Chaplin
"In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different." — Coco Chanel
"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." — E. Russell
"Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down." ― Roy T. Bennett
"There is strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow." ― Aaron Lauritsen
"Despite everything, it's still you." ― Toby Fox
"I will always find a way and a way will always find me." ― Charles F. Glassman
"Deep at the center of my being there is an infinite well of love."― Louise L. Hay
"We are influenced by our personality but not controlled by it." — Gary D. Chapman, 'The 5 Love Languages'
Find out more in the summary of 'The 5 Love Languages' by Gary D. Chapman on the Headway app.
92 "Every day, and in every way, I am becoming better and better." ― Emile Coué
"When I stopped to take a breath, I noticed I had wings." ― Jodi Livon
"We cannot face up to what lies ahead, without facing up to what lies within." ― Eleesha
"You're only as weak as you let yourself become, and you're only as strong as you allow yourself to be." ― Daniel Hansen
"Let your convictions, affirmations, and aspirations lead you to your big dreams." ― Gift Gugu Mona
"Spoken words had more weight than those that lay dormant as thoughts" ― F. S. Bala
"Getting better is not a trying task, it is a mandatory obligation to add value into whatever you do." ― Victor Vote
"If you take society’s definition of knowing oneself, you will become lost in the many translations." ― Grace Sara
"If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled." ― M. J. Ryan
"Always let your heart shine bright, because this inner light will guide you home, even in the darkest night." ― Jennifer Sodini
"The benefit of personal growth and self-discovery is that we become better human beings with the strength to endure and carry on." ― Michael James
"Nobody can save you but yourself." — Charles Bukowski
"Be the person you wish you could be, not the person you feel you are doomed to be." — Dolly Alderton, 'Everything I Know About Love'
Get more details from the full summary of 'Everything I Know About Love' by Dolly Alderton on the Headway app.
Convert self-love into wisdom with Headway book summaries
Let the wisdom in these quotes become your daily reminder that you are enough, just as you are. With Headway's bite-sized book summaries, you'll find even more empowering words — and practical steps — to help you grow, heal, and thrive.
From 'The Mountain Is You' to 'Everything I Know About Love,' explore the books that celebrate self-compassion, confidence, and emotional strength. Need more insights? Explore thematic book collections on gender equality, self-motivation, women's history, wellness, and happiness in the Headway library.
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