We have become this very fear-based culture, especially post-9/11. Fear is the opposite of love, in my opinion. I think there would be more love in the world. I'm not talking about rainbows and unicorns and '70s Coca-Cola commercials. I'm talking about gritty, dangerous, wild-eyed love. Radical acceptance of people. Belonging. A good, goofy kind of love.

Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be and embracing who we are.

I think a lot of us are multiple things that don't always fit together neatly in a bio box.

We can’t practice compassion with other people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly.

Shame works like the zoom lens on a camera. When we are feeling shame, the camera is zoomed in tight and all we see is our flawed selves, alone and struggling.(page 68)

Vulnerability pushed, I pushed back. I lost the fight, but probably won my life back.

Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver. And our world could stand to be a little kinder and braver.