You rise above your fears by facing them, not by ignoring them. And you can do that because you’re not the fear or the thought or the pain: you’re the one looking at it. Read these self-reflection quotes. They’ll help you look at your thoughts and feelings without being trapped by them. It’s how you change anything.

These self-reflection quotes aren’t about lingering on what you don’t like about yourself. They’re about going beyond them by recognizing that you’re not them.

By paying kind attention to what hurts or isn’t helping, you can understand those things better. You can understand yourself better, and so trust yourself more.

Introspection is the opposite of self-rejection. The loving gaze you grant yourself will free you and lift everyone else.

Two keys to positive introspection are:

• To value your self-awareness. It’s enlightening to know why you do things, to recognize your triggers, to have clarity about what’s going on in your head and heart.
• Your willingness to believe you’re already enough. Then you can make changes (that last) from a place of compassion and acceptance, not shame.

Reflection is a gift for your spirit. It lets deeper parts of who you are come forth and be discovered. It makes it possible for you to create something new.

Positive self-reflection is a balance of who you see yourself as now and who you see beyond right now. You blend who you are with who you want to be… with love. Always love.

25 Self-Reflection Quotes for a Healthy Relationship with Yourself

1. “The feeling of being ‘offended’ is a warning indicator that is showing you where to look within yourself for unresolved issues.” – Bryant McGill

2. “Unless you learn to face your own shadows, you will continue to see them in others, because the world outside you is only a reflection of the world inside you.” – Unknown

3. “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” – Carl Jung

4. “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin

5. “People are sent into our lives to teach us things that we need to learn about ourselves.” – Mandy Hale

6. “The journey into self-love and self-acceptance must begin with self-examination… until you take the journey of self-reflection, it is almost impossible to grow or learn in life.” – Iyanla Vanzant

7. “It is always our own self that we find at the end of the journey. The sooner we face that self, the better.” – Ella Maillart

8. “Remind yourself that you cannot fail at being yourself.” – Wayne Dyer

9. “What we perceive about ourselves is greatly a reflection of how we will end up living our lives.” – Stephen Richards

10. “People who have had little self-reflection live life in a huge reality blind-spot.” – Bryant McGill

11. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle

12. “The purpose of our spiritual journey is not to replace the darkness with light, rather it’s to integrate and honor all the parts of ourselves… all of life’s energies.” – Deb Blum

13. “You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.” – Diane von Furstenberg

14. “The soul usually knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” – Caroline Myss

13. “This above all; to thine own self be true.” – William Shakespeare

16. “Honest self-reflection opens your mind to reprogramming, change, success and freedom.” – Unknown

17. “Your greatest self has been waiting your whole life; don’t make it wait any longer.” – Dr. Steve Maraboli

18. “Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” – Margaret J. Wheatley

19. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates

20. “The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none.” – Thomas Carlyle

21. “The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. You are not discovering yourself but creating yourself anew. Seek, therefore, not to find out who you are, seek to determine what you want to be.” – Neal Donald Walsch

22. “The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” – Ram Dass

23. “Self-reflection is the school of wisdom.” – Baltasar Gracian

24. “Before I ask you to sit with me, I must be able to sit with myself. Before I ask you to accept my pain, I have to accept the pain myself. Before I ask you to love me, I have to be madly in love with myself.” – C. Thoth

25. “There is no greater journey than the one that you must take to discover all of the mysteries that lie within you.” – Michelle Sandlin

Tell me:

Which of these self-reflection quotes is your favorite?

Tell me in the comments. I read every single one, and I’d love to know!

As Michelangelo said, at age 87, “I am still learning.”

Love,

Jen

P.S. Listen to and help yourself with some positive self-talk. Get my book Morning Affirmations for an intentional and openhearted start to your day, or get Sleep Affirmations to end the day with peace.