Quotes from Nathaniel Branden

The books are all in order now. It'll be easy for the children to find any book they want. It was a difficult job. But you did it. Thank you.

The more specifically targeted our praise, the more meaningful it is to the child. Praise that is generalized and abstract leaves the child wondering what exactly is being praised. It is not helpful.

Whereas self-esteem is something we experience, self-acceptance is something we do.

Empathy and compassion, no less than benevolence and cooperativeness, are far more likely to be found among persons of high self-esteem than among low;

Self-acceptance is the willingness to say of any emotion or behavior, "This is an expression of me, not necessarily an expression I like or admire, but an expression of me nonetheless, at least at the time it occurred.

However, to think of stimulating the mind of the child usually requires a higher level of consciousness (and of patience) of the parent than does the practice of handing down ready-made solutions. Impatience is often the enemy of good parenting.

Experiencing our feelings has direct healing power.

I cannot overcome a fear whose reality I deny. I cannot correct a problem in the way I deal with my associates if I will not admit it exists. I cannot change traits I insist I do not have. I cannot forgive myself for an action I will not acknowledge having taken.

There is perhaps nothing more important to know about children than that they need to make sense out of their experience.

It is not acceptance but denial that leaves me stuck.

Self-acceptance entails the idea of compassion, of being a friend to myself.

Persons who hate themselves hate others.

If integrity is a source of self-esteem, then it is also, and never more so than today, an expression of self-esteem.

By this I mean that behaviors that generate good self-esteem are also expressions of good self-esteem.

Let me say further that one of the characteristics of persons with healthy self-esteem is that they tend to assess their abilities and accomplishments realistically, neither denying nor exaggerating them.

Not all communication problems are the result of inadequate education; sometimes the cause is a self-concept that generates self-sabotage.

Living consciously is both a cause and an effect of self-efficacy and self-respect.

To be in focus does not mean that one must be engaged in the task of problem-solving every moment of one's waking existence. It means that one must know what one's mind is doing.

But remember: "Accepting" does not necessarily mean "liking." "Accepting" does not mean we cannot imagine or wish for changes or improvements. It means experiencing, without denial or avoidance, that a fact is a fact.

I thought: Freedom means change; the ability to manage change is at least in part a function of self-esteem. Sooner or later, all roads lead to self-esteem.

The more I live consciously, the more I trust my mind and respect my worth; and if I trust my mind and respect my worth, it feels natural to live consciously.

Knowledge is more widely disseminated and freely available than ever before, making it much easier for people to operate at higher levels of consciousness in their work and consequently to be more productive.

have nightmares all the time, and when I cry

That is true. The virtues that self-esteem asks of us are also ones that life asks of us.