What is guilt? It is moral self-reproach-I did wrong when it was possible to have done otherwise.

Even when our life is most difficult, it is important to remember that something within us is keeping us alive- the life force-that lift us, energizes us, pulls us back sometimes from the abyss of despair. True spirituality does not exist without love of life.

Every day, it's important to ask and answer these questions: "What's good in my life?" and "What needs to be done?"

If you are an adult, you are responsible for your life and well-being. No one owes you the fulfillment of your needs or wants; no one is here on earth to serve you. If you respect the principle of self-ownership, you understand that no one else owns you and that you do not own anyone else. Only on this understanding can there be peace on earth and good will among human beings.

Your choices have psychological consequences. The way you choose to deal with reality, truth, facts - your choice to honor or dishonor your own perceptions - registers in your mind, for good or for bad, and either confirms and strengthens your self-esteem or undermines and weakens it.

The lies most devastating to our self-esteem are not so much the lies we tell as the lies we live.

Anyone who engages in the practice of psychotherapy confronts every day the devastation wrought by the teachings of religion.