One of the most significant characteristics of healthy self esteem is that it is the state of one who is not at war either with himself or with others.

The desire for self-esteem without integrity is like the desire for wealth without effort-a longing for the unearned.

It's not that achievements prove our worth but rather that the process of achieving is the means by which we develop our effectiveness, our competence at living.

Fully to surrender to love can be terrifying. But it is the price life asks in exchange for the possibility of ecstasy.

To accept struggle as part of life, to accept all of it, even the darkest moments of anguish; to be motivated by love rather than fear, by confidence rather than insecurity: these are the benchmarks of high self-esteem. The wish to avoid fear and pain is not the motive that drives the lives of highly evolved men and women; rather, it is the life force within them, thrusting toward its unique form of expression-the actualization of personal values.

Some people stand and move as if they have no right to the space they occupy. They wonder why others often fail to treat them with respect-not realizing that they have signaled others that it is not necessary to treat them with respect.

If we attach more importance to what other people believe than to what we know to be true - if we value belonging over being - we will not attain authenticity.