Quotes About Authenticity

If you realize life is short, you break up with your gay boyfriend and get a real boyfriend.

There was no longer any need to pretend to be weak. Jack had always been the only one with whom she had to pretend to be strong.

Except for normal human emotions we would be feeling anyway, and twinges of discomfort as we begin to behave differently, recovery from codependency is exciting. It is liberating. It lets us be who we are. It lets other people be who they are.

Recovery is not about being right; it's about allowing ourselves to be who we are and accepting others as they are.

The vocation of putting people straight, of tearing off their masks, of forcing them to face the repressed truth, is a highly dangerous and destructive calling

If you have done nothing to feel embarrassed about, don't feel embarrassed. I know this is a tough concept, but it can be mastered.

The greatest gift we can bring to any relationship wherever we go is being who we are.

We can confuse love with dependency, manipulation, and neediness. None of those are love. Love is when we want other people to be who they are.

Others do not have our magic. We have our magic. It is in us.

Start by knowing that who we are is okay. Our feelings and thoughts are okay. Our opinions count. It's okay to talk about our problems. And it's okay to say no. We

Why Am I Afraid To Tell You Who I Am?

Say what we mean, and mean what we say. If we don't know what we mean, be quiet and think about it. If our answer is, "I don't know," say "I don't know." Learn to be concise. Stop taking people all around the block. Get to the point and when we make it, stop.

Remember, decisions don't have to be made perfectly. We don't have to be perfect. We don't even have to be nearly perfect. We can just be who we are. We can make mistakes in our choices. We're not so fragile we can't handle making a mistake. It's no big deal! It's part of living. We can learn from our mistakes, or we can simply make another decision.

I spent many years of my life not even bothering to think about what I wanted and needed, where I wanted to go, and what I wanted to do. Life was to be endured. I didn't think I deserved good things. I didn't think most good things were within my reach. I wasn't that interested in my life, except as an appendage to other people. I didn't think about living my life; I was too focused on others. I was too busy reacting, rather than acting.

Start by knowing that who we are is okay. Our feelings and thoughts are okay. Our opinions count. It's okay to talk about our problems. And it's okay to say no.

We can tell the truth. Lying about what we think, how we feel, and what we want isn't being polite—it's lying. We

Free others to be who they are. In so doing, you will set yourself free.

An unexamined life isn't worth living, or so they say. The problem with living up to other people's expectations too much is that it doesn't leave us time to have a life. Take a moment. Ask yourself this question, and don't be afraid to look deeply: Are you allowing someone else's expectations to control your life? Examine the expectations you're living up to; then live by your own inner guide.

The second thing that helped was stories—hearing honest accounts about how people felt, what they went through, and what helped them, not contrived stories saying how they thought they were supposed to feel and what they thought they should do. I promised myself then that if I ever came out the other end of this tunnel, I'd write a book about grief that I wouldn't have tossed across the room.

There's more. Stop working for the prize. Stop dating to get married. Stop dressing to control what people think. It's all about control. Control doesn't keep us safe, even though we think it does. People die in their houses walking down their steps. Do each thing for itself. Be there while you're doing it. Stop being someplace else. Let life be what it is.

We don't have to be controlled by what other people say; we don't have to try to control them with our words and special effects. We don't have to be manipulated, guilted, coerced, or forced into anything. We can open our mouths and take care of ourselves! Learn to say: "I love you, but I love me, too. This is what I need to do to take care of me.

Real power comes from feeling our feelings, not from ignoring them. Real strength comes, not from pretending to be strong all the time, but from acknowledging our weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

I think we all need to learn to like ourselves-just the way we are. And if there are moderate ways to improve our looks and if we're doing it for the right reasons (not to impress our friends!), then maybe it's just fine. Beauty is very subjective-meaning that it all depends on your personal taste. I think that's why God made us all different. So instead of turning ourselves into cookie-cutter images of the latest fashion icon, why not take a moment to enjoy our differences?

She didn't have to be offered anything; it was already hers. She was more herself than anyone else ever was and as soon as I clapped eyes on her I knew I wanted to be myself just as much as she was herself.