Self-Love Quotes

Self-love is not vanity. These quotes treat it as the ground everything else stands on. Brené Brown, who has spent two decades researching shame and worthiness, says we are imperfect and “wired for struggle,” but still worthy of love and belonging. Owning our story, she writes, is “the bravest thing we’ll ever do.”

Older writers say it differently. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance” urges “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.” Virginia Woolf offers permission to slow down: “No need to hurry. No need to sparkle.” Oscar Wilde, characteristically, called self-love “the beginning of a lifelong romance.” These are words to return to on the days you are hardest on yourself. Save your favourites to a collection so they are there when you need them.