 Frederick Douglass: I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence. Frederick Douglass  George Eliot: It is good to be helpful and kindly, but don't give yourself to be melted into candle grease for the benefit of the tallow trade. George Eliot  William J. H. Boetcker: That you may retain your self-respect, it is better to displease the people by doing what you know is right, than to temporarily please them by doing what you know is wrong. William J. H. Boetcker

 Being liked or loved is important, but it is okay to go through periods where you feel you have neither. These times when you feel you are not liked or loved should be used to further develop your own identity.

 Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best. ~Max Beerbohm  Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing. ~Harriet Braiker  Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence. ~Rosalynn Carter

 We will never do better than our best effort and mistakes are natural. Also, it is very important to accept yourself for who you are and separate this identity from the results of your performances.

 “We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.” Paul Coelho

 Other people are always going to do things you do not agree with. Humans are just not perfect yet, including you, and upsetting yourself about someone else will not make that fact change. Practice acceptance of that which you cannot control. Practice influence over that which you can.

 Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson  Stubborn and ardent clinging to one’s opinion is the best proof of stupidity. ~Michel de Montaigne.

 No life ever goes perfectly. The secret is how quickly one can adapt to the changes life presents.

 Pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the underlying circumstances that come from a feeling of helplessness. ~ Susan Jeffers  Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be make a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself. ~ Harvey S. Firestone

 Actually life events don’t cause feelings, our thoughts about those life events do. Control how you think about life events and you will control your feelings. Do yourself a favor and be an optimist! The world needs positive energy to move in the right direction. “Cynicism is what passes for insight amongst the mediocre.”—Joe Klein

Nothing in the affair of men is worthy of great anxiety. ~ Plato We live in the midst of alarms; anxiety beclouds the future; we expect some new disaster with each newspaper we read. ~Abraham Lincoln

 Worrying about things will not stop life from happening. It will make life disturbing right now. Remember that speculating about a future negative occurrence is much more anxiety provoking than the anxiety that comes from going through the actual event that you fear.

 Delay is the deadliest form of denial. ~C. Northcote Parkinson  Every time we choose safety, we reinforce fear. ~Cheri Huber

 Avoiding makes life easier in the short term, but avoiding becomes a full time job after awhile and actually becomes much more time-consuming than dealing with life issues as they arise.

 Our dependency makes slaves out of us, especially if this dependency is a dependency of our self-esteem. If you need encouragement, praise, pats on the back from everybody, then you make everybody your judge. ~unknown

 It is okay to seek help as long as you have learned to trust yourself as well. Being psychologically dependent on others to make decisions for you leaves you vulnerable to exploitation.

 You have nobody to blame but yourself if you stumble more than one over the same stump. ~Proverb quotes

 It is not the past that makes your life stink. It is your current beliefs about the past that make you feel hopeless. We can always choose to analyze our past, learn from it, and make today work better for us. (Counseling helps with this!)

 Albert Camus: In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was within me an invincible summer. Albert Camus  Helen Keller: Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved. Helen Keller

 People who avoid suffering or pain through various addictive or avoidant behaviors stop their own emotional development. We learn new strategies for life by suffering through bad times. Parents who protect their children from suffering through the pains of life produce adults who have the emotional intelligence of children.