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.

If you have high self-esteem, you might still know times of emotional suffering, but less often and with faster recovery-your resilience is greater.

The real basic power of an individual isn't what he or she knows; it's the ability to think and learn and face new challenges.

The stability we cannot find in the world, we must create within our own persons.

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

It is impressive to see a person who has been battered by life in many ways, who is torn by a variety of unsolved problems, who may be alienated from many aspects of the self-but who is still fighting, still struggling, still striving to find the path to a fulfilling existence, moved by the wisdom of knowing, "I am more than my problems."

No one is coming to save you.