Do we really have the right to take care of ourselves? Do we really have the right to set boundaries? Do we really have the right to be direct and say what we need to say? You bet we do.

I used to spend so much time reacting and responding to everyone else that my life had no direction. Other people's lives, problems, and wants set the course for my life. Once I realized it was okay for me to think about and identify what I wanted, remarkable things began to take place in my life.

Striving for excellence is a positive quality. Striving for perfection is self-defeating.

Caring works. Caretaking doesn't. We can learn to walk the line between the two.

A man went to Istanbul, his first visit there. On his way to a business meeting, this man lost his way. He began raging at himself for getting lost, until a realization allowed him to transcend his ire. "How can I be lost? I've never been here before?" pp 104-105

If somebody rejects you or your choices, you are still real, and you are still worth every bit as much as you would be if you had not been rejected.

Even if the most important person in your world rejects you, you are still real, and you are still okay.