Favorite Inspiring Quotes
Self-Love
Commentary by Peter Shepherd

“Like the tree in my garden, it is your nature to grow. Clarity of understanding unlocks the self-love, gratitude and acceptance that are the sunlight, rainwater and nutrients of your personal evolution. Increases in consciousness are inevitable for you when you get out of your own way, let your wisdom guide you and start enjoying your life as it is today.” ~ Jamie Smart
Look toward the source of your thinking, your inner knowing, your loving, creative, curious urge... rather than the symptoms that your intellectual mind creates, your mental experience of life.
“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale
What cuts down your confidence? Largely your own self-talk. When it's exaggerated, pessimistic, intolerant, judgmental, generalizing, fearful - or anything that makes you feel down - then know that is your conditioned ego speaking, not your true creative and expansive self. Throw all that stuff away and give yourself some self-love - a big supportive hug for YOU!
“We have the need to be accepted and to be loved by others, but we cannot accept and love ourselves. The more self-love we have, the less we will experience self-abuse. Self-abuse comes from self-rejection, and self-rejection comes from having an image of what it means to be perfect and never measuring up to that ideal. Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves the way we are, and why we don't accept others the way they are.” ~ Don Miguel Ruiz
Give yourself what you would give to anyone else who is doing their best: respect.
“When you discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.” ~ Jean Shinoda Bolen
Caring for yourself empowers you to love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy.
“As I learn to love myself, I automatically receive the love and appreciation that I desire from others. If I am commited to myself and to living my truth, I will attract others with equal commitment. My willingness to be intimate with my own deep feelings creates the space for intimacy with another.” ~ Shakti Gawain
As Lucille Ball said, "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world."

Here’s some further reading on this theme...
How I Achieved Authentic & Radical Self-Love ~ By Danielle Dailey
To put it simply, before I came to do this work, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I traveled through life like a pinball, spinning in whatever direction that I was sent reeling and bouncing off of every nearby wall. Sometimes I experienced small glimpses of happiness; but the truth is most of the time I was living in my own personal hell. But the journey that came out of it—my beautiful, beautiful journey—took me from randomly spinning through life to living life with purpose and intention. Continues...