Quotes About Self-discovery

This is how we recognize the man who has tendencies toward an inner quest: he will set failure above any success, he will even seek it out, unconsciously of course. This is because failure, always essential, reveals us to ourselves, permits us to see ourselves as God sees us, whereas success distances us from what is most inward in ourselves and indeed in everything.

When, getting too used to ourselves, we begin to loathe ourselves, we soon realize that we are worse off, that self-hatred actually strengthens self-attachment.

A patrimony all our own: the hours when we have nothing... It is they that form us, that individualize us, that make us dissimilar.

A patrimony all our own: the hours when we have done nothing. . . . It is they that form us, that individualize us, that make us dissimilar.

This is because failure, always essential, reveals us to ourselves, permits us to see ourselves as God sees us, whereas success distances us from what is most inward in ourselves and indeed in everything.

Sólo somos nosotros mismos por la suma de nuestros fracasos.

a golden rule: to leave an incomplete image of oneself.

We see another facet of this freedom when

I want to see how I can exist by myself. I want to be allowed to live inside my memory.

Adventure most unto itselfThe Soul condemned to be—Attended by a single HoundIts own identity.

We never know how high we areTill we are called to riseAnd then, if we are true to planOur statures touch the skies.

Cancer is a journey, but you walk the road alone. There are many places to stop along the way and get nourishment — you just have to be willing to take it.

Donot imitate others because it damages your personality.

I often feel like I have this spirit living inside of me, always dressing in like short mini skirts... but then I start to discover myself. So there are eight spirits, mischievous ones, sad ones, handsome ones, wise ones, and crazy ones.

I have not written about being a Negro at such length because I do not expect that to be my only subject, but only because it was the gate I had to unlock before I could hope to write about anything else.

First wives are a rite of passage into adult life. In many ways it's important that first marriages go wrong. That's how we learn the truth about ourselves.

Bama captures a moment that contains a paradox: she seeks an identity, but seeks a change which means an end to that identity.

Once you've recognized your own limits, you've raised yourself to a higher level of being, since you're closer to the real you...

Nothing exists in this world but me and my bed…" (p. 141).

I had been walking in silence for so long,I had almost forgotten what my own voice sounded like.My knees were tired;my toes were beginning to ache.

I guess you just lacked the courage, the guts to strike out on your own. And so when it all came to an end, you were still living that way, a life you never meant to be anything more than a stopgap, filling in for the real thing.

Begitulah, tapi kalau manusia sama sekali tidak pernah merasa putus asa, kita tidak akan tahu bagian mana dari diri kita yang tidak sanggup kita singkirkan. Lalu kita akan tumbuh dewasa tanpa benar-benar mengerti apa saja yang bisa membuat kita gembira. Aku bahagia karena bisa menderita

Quanti anni avevo quand'ho capito che su quel sentiero buio e solitario l'unica luce possibile era quella che io stessa avrei emanato?

I'd assumed that once I'd passed the age of twenty, I'd gained the power to do everything alone. But I'd been wrong about that, and this just brought it home to me, again, that I still had a long way to go.