The idea of Original Sin – of guilt where there is no possibility of innocence, no freedom of choice, no alternatives available – is anti-self-esteem by its very nature. The very notion of guilt without volition or responsibility is an assault on reason as well as on morality.

— Nathaniel Branden

Nathaniel Branden Quotes

Genuine self-esteem is what we feel about ourselves when everything is not all right.

— Nathaniel Branden

Sometimes people who feel fear in the human realm drop to a very low level of consciousness in their relationships and seek the safety and security of competence in the impersonal word of machines, mathematics, or abstract thought.

— Nathaniel Branden

The higher our self-esteem, the more likely we are to be creative in our work, which means the more successful we are likely to be. The higher our self-esteem, the more ambitious we tend to be, not necessarily in a career or financial sense, but in terms of what we hope to experience in life – emotionally, creatively and spiritually.

— Nathaniel Branden

So far as we can ascertain, in primitive cultures the idea of romantic love did not exist at all.

— Nathaniel Branden

Our liabilities pose the problem of inadequacy; our our assets, the challenge of responsibility. Our strengths or virtues can make us feel alone, alienated, cut off from the common herd, a target for envy and hostility, and our desire to belong can overcome any desire to actualise our highest potential.

— Nathaniel Branden

What we make an effort to learn and what we achieve is based, at least in part, on what we think is possible and appropriate to us.

— Nathaniel Branden

I can be loved by my family, my mate, and my friends, and yet not love myself. I can be admired by my associates and yet regard myself as worthless.

— Nathaniel Branden

Conscious individuals know that if they wish to advance in their careers they cannot rest on yesterday’s knowledge and skills. An overattachment to the known and familiar has become costly and dangerous; it threatens both organizations and individuals with obsolescence. Scientific.

— Nathaniel Branden

While healthy self-assertiveness requires the ability to say no, it is ultimately tested not by what we are against but by what we are for.

— Nathaniel Branden

If someone I like does not return my feeling, it may be disappointing or even painful, but it is not a reflection on my personal worth.

— Nathaniel Branden

I am responsible for my own existence and happiness.

— Nathaniel Branden

I accept the reality of my problems, but I am not defined by them. My problems are not my essence. My fear, pain, confusion, or mistakes are not my core.

— Nathaniel Branden

I choose to value myself, to treat myself with respect, to stand up for my right to exist.

— Nathaniel Branden

Sentence Completions to Facilitate the Art of Living Consciously.

— Nathaniel Branden

No one owes me the fulfillment of my wishes.

— Nathaniel Branden

Self-esteem is a particular way of experiencing the self. Its two components are self-efficacy and self-respect. Self-efficacy is the experience of competence in thinking, learning, making appropriate decisions, and responding effectively to the challenges of life. Self-respect is the experience of success, achievement, love, joy, fulfilment – in a word, happiness – are natural and appropriate to us.

— Nathaniel Branden

No one is coming to save me; no one is coming to make life right for me; no one is coming to solve my problems. If I don’t do something, nothing is going to get better.

— Nathaniel Branden

Accountability Life is Hard Feeling Alone

Instead of seeking self-esteem through consciousness, responsibility, and integrity, we may seek it through popularity, material acquisitions, or sexual exploits.

— Nathaniel Branden

Someone who loves us passionately is motivated to know and understand us to a greater depth than someone with whom our relationship is more casual.

— Nathaniel Branden

Poor self-esteem not only inhibits thought, it tends to distort it.

— Nathaniel Branden

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