Quotes About Vulnerability

She'd been torn, naked and defenseless, from a cocoon of privilege and power, with no skills for survival in this harsh new world.

to live apart from the comforts of clan and kin, surrounded by strangers upon whom she must depend for what day-to-day gentleness one human being might have from another.

Go ahead and cry, Andy. Don't be afraid of those tears. Sometimes they help to wash the soul clean.

Maybe in order to understand sex fully/one has to risk being destroyed by it.

sometimes I can feel it, the way we are pouring slowly toward a curve and around it through something dark and soft, and we are bound to each other.

Metta sees truly that our integrity is inviolate, no matter what our life situation may be. We do not need to fear anything. We are whole: our deepest happiness is intrinsic to the nature of our minds, and it is not damaged through uncertainty and change.

Vulnerability in the face of constant change is what we share, whatever our present condition.

Wholehearted acceptance is a basic element of love, starting with love for ourselves, and a gateway to joy. Through the practices of loving kindness and self-compassion, we can learn to love our flawed and imperfect selves. And in those moments of vulnerability, we open our hearts to connect with each other, as well. We are not perfect, but we are enough.

Learning to treat ourselves lovingly may at first feel like a dangerous experiment.

Our can-do culture has made many of us believe that we should always be self-sufficient. Somewhere along the way, we also got the message that asking for help is a sign of weakness. We often forget that we're interdependent creatures whose very existence depends on the kindness of others, including—with a bow to Tennessee Williams—strangers.

Real forgiveness in close relationships is never easy. It can't be rushed or engineered.

It is not the perfect, but the imperfect, who have need of love." And that means every last one of us.

Taking in another's criticism, even when it's offered out of love, requires courage.

Real Love for ourselves by definition includes every aspect of our lives—the good, the bad, the difficult, the challenging past, the uncertain future, as well as all the shameful, upsetting experiences and encounters we'd just as soon forget.

Perfection is fragile; interacting with something that seems perfect puts it in peril.

Every time you cry, you should cry your heart out. That way you'll get the best release.

You don't have to love yourself unconditionally before you can give or receive real love.

The heart contracts when our bodies are overcome by shame.

We exercise kindness in any moment when we recognize our shared humanity—with all the hopes, dreams, joys, disappointments, vulnerability, and suffering that implies.

When we are willing to explore our own experiences, we open the doorway to deeper connection and intimacy.

So often, fear keeps us from being able to say yes to love—perhaps our greatest challenge as human beings.

There is a sentiment common among most of us when it comes to love—letting go can feel scary.

The costs of keeping secrets include our growing isolation due to fear of detection and the ways we shut down inside to avoid feeling the effects of our behavior. We can never afford to be truly seen and known—even by ourselves.

Concepts such as loving kindness should never be used as weapons against our real feelings.