Brené Brown Inspiring Quotes: A Powerful Collection to Ignite Your Courage and Authenticity

"Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage."

- Brené Brown

"Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness."

- Brené Brown

"To love someone fiercely, to believe in something with your whole heart, to celebrate a fleeting moment in time, to fully engage in a life that doesn’t come with guarantees – these are risks that involve vulnerability and often pain. But, I’m learning that recognizing and leaning into the discomfort of vulnerability teaches us how to live with joy, gratitude and grace."

- Brené Brown

"Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome."

- Brené Brown

"Daring greatly means the courage to be vulnerable. It means to show up and be seen. To ask for what you need. To talk about how you’re feeling. To have the hard conversations."

- Brené Brown

"I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do."

- Brené Brown

"Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable."

- Brené Brown

"Here’s what is truly at the heart of wholeheartedness: worthy now. Not if. Not when. We’re worthy of love and belonging now. Right this minute. As is."

- Brené Brown

"True belonging is not passive.… It’s a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are."

- Brené Brown

"You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging."

- Brené Brown

"Here's what is truly at the heart of wholeheartedness: Worthy now, not if, not when, we're worthy of love and belonging now. Right this minute. As is."

- Brené Brown

"Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don’t belong. You will always find it because you’ve made that your mission. Stop scouring people’s faces for evidence that you’re not enough. You will always find it because you’ve made that your goal. True belonging and self-worth are not goods; we don’t negotiate their value with the world. The truth about who we are lives in our hearts. Our call to courage is to protect our wild heart against constant evaluation, especially our own. No one belongs here more than you."

- Brené Brown

"Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light."

- Brené Brown

"True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are."

- Brené Brown

"The truth is: Belonging starts with self-acceptance. Your level of belonging, in fact, can never be greater than your level of self-acceptance, because believing that you’re enough is what gives you the courage to be authentic, vulnerable and imperfect."

- Brené Brown

"We can choose courage, or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time."

- Brené Brown

"Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It's about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen."

- Brené Brown

"When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write a brave new ending."

- Brené Brown

"Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’ Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences—good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as ordinary courage."

- Brené Brown

"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do."

- Brené Brown

"Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are."

- Brené Brown

"If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive."

- Brené Brown

"Vulnerability is not weakness. And that myth is profoundly dangerous."

- Brené Brown

"Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing we’ll ever do."

- Brené Brown

"I now see that owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do."

- Brené Brown

"Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path."

- Brené Brown

"When we deny the story, it defines us. When we own the story, we can write a brave new ending."

- Brené Brown

"True belonging never asks us to change who we are. True belonging requires us to be who we are."

- Brené Brown

"When we can let go of what other people think and own our story, we gain access to our worthiness—the feeling that we are enough just as we are and that we are worthy of love and belonging."

- Brené Brown

"To be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect — and vulnerable. We have to believe that we are fundamentally worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are."

- Brené Brown

"Wholehearted living is about cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, ‘No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough.'"

- Brené Brown

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."

- Maya Angelou

"Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage."

- Brené Brown

"Worthiness doesn’t have prerequisites."

- Brené Brown

"Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be; embrace who you are."

- Emma Watson

"You may not have signed up for a hero’s journey, but the second you fell down, got your butt kicked, suffered a disappointment, screwed up, or felt your heart break, it started. It doesn’t matter whether we are ready for an emotional adventure—hurt happens. And it happens to every single one of us. Without exception. The only decision we get to make is what role we’ll play in our own lives: Do we want to write the story, or do we want to hand that power over to someone else? Choosing to write our own story means getting uncomfortable; it’s choosing courage over comfort."

- Brené Brown

"A crisis highlights all of our fault lines. We can pretend that we have nothing to learn, or we can take this opportunity to own the truth and make a better future for ourselves and others."

- Brené Brown

"Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love."

- Brené Brown

"There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period."

- Brené Brown

"The middle is messy, but it is also where the magic happens."

- Brené Brown

"Connecting the dots of our lives, especially the ones we would rather erase or skip over, requires equal parts self-love and curiosity."

- Brené Brown

"Grace means that all of your mistakes now serve a purpose instead of serving shame."

- Brené Brown

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming."

- Brené Brown

"Wholehearted living is about engaging with our lives from a place of worthiness."

- Brené Brown

"The wholehearted have the courage to be imperfect."

- Brené Brown

"Wholehearted living is not like trying to reach a destination. It’s like walking toward a star in the sky. We never really arrive, but we certainly know that we’re heading in the right direction."

- Brené Brown

"Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness."

- Brené Brown

"Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary."

- Brené Brown

"Want to be happy? Stop trying to be perfect."

- Brené Brown

"In a society that says, ‘Put yourself last,’ self-love and self-acceptance are revolutionary."

- Brené Brown

"But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others.… It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts."

- Brené Brown

"To me, a leader is someone who holds her- or himself accountable for finding potential in people and processes."

- Brene Brown, author and researcher

"When we are willing to risk venturing into the wilderness, and even becoming our own wilderness, we feel the deepest connection to our true self and to what matters the most."

- Brené Brown

"What we know matters, but who we are matters more."

- Brené Brown

"The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows."

- Brené Brown

"I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness—it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude."

- Brené Brown

"If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall. These are the physics of vulnerability."

- Brené Brown

"You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm."

- Brené Brown

"Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life."

- Brené Brown

"Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance."

- Brené Brown

"If you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback."

- Brené Brown

"To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself."

- Brené Brown

"When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives."

- Brené Brown

"I carry a small sheet of paper in my wallet that has written on it the names of people whose opinions of me matter. To be on that list, you have to love me for my strengths and struggles."

- Brené Brown

"If you are not in the arena getting your butt kicked on occasion, I am not interested in or open to your feedback."

- Brené Brown

"Don’t look away. Don’t look down. Don’t pretend not to see hurt. Look people in the eye. Even when their pain is overwhelming. And when you’re in pain, find the people who can look you in the eye. We need to know we’re not alone—especially when we’re hurting."

- Brené Brown

"Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen."

- Brené Brown

"When we stop caring about what people think, we lose our capacity for connection. When we become defined by what people think, we lose our willingness to be vulnerable."

- Brené Brown

"Not caring what people think is its own kind of hustle. Instead we have to be brave enough to care about what others think but not let it define us."

- Brené Brown

"Through my research, I found that vulnerability is the glue that holds relationships together. It’s the magic sauce."

- Brené Brown

"When you own your story, you get to write the ending."

- Brené Brown

"The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness."

- Brené Brown

"We are the authors of our lives. We write our own daring endings."

- Brené Brown

"Every story matters. Let’s be careful with the stories we tell about other people and the stories we tell ourselves."

- Brené Brown

"Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending—to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. And I will choose how the story ends."

- Brené Brown

"Storytelling is an act of courage, it’s about owning your story and having the bravery to share it."

- Brené Brown

"It’s not joy that makes us grateful; it’s gratitude that makes us joyful."

- Brené Brown

"I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude."

- Brené Brown

"Practicing gratitude is how we acknowledge that there’s enough and that we’re enough."

- Brené Brown

"Gratitude is not a virtue but a practice."

- Brené Brown

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

- Brené Brown

"We can’t make a list of all the ‘bad’ things that didn’t happen to us to be grateful for. We have to feel grateful. Gratitude has to be practiced."

- Brené Brown

"Joy is a heart full and a mind purified by gratitude."

- Brené Brown

"True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are."

- Brené Brown

"Belonging so fully to yourself that you’re willing to stand alone is a wilderness—an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching."

- Brené Brown

"The quest for true belonging will almost certainly require us to brave the wilderness, to stand alone in our integrity, and to risk the criticism and judgement of others."

- Brené Brown

"Belonging to ourselves means being called to stand alone—to brave the wilderness of uncertainty, vulnerability, and criticism."

- Brené Brown

"The wilderness is where all the wild beasts roam—loneliness, fear, regret, and insecurity. But it’s also where the wild things are—love, belonging, joy, courage, and trust."

- Brené Brown

"True belonging is not passive. It’s not the belonging that comes with just joining a group. It’s not fitting in or pretending or selling out because it’s safer. It’s a practice that requires us to be vulnerable, get uncomfortable, and learn how to be present with people without sacrificing who we are."

- Brené Brown

"The mark of a wild heart is living out the paradox of love in our lives. It’s the ability to be tough and tender, excited and scared, brave and afraid—all in the same moment. It’s showing up in our vulnerability and our courage, being both fierce and kind."

- Brené Brown

"Our unexpressed ideas, opinions, and contributions don’t just go away. They are likely to fester and eat away at our worthiness."

- Brené Brown

"What we know matters but who we are matters more. Being rather than knowing requires showing up and letting ourselves be seen."

- Brené Brown

"Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives as we are, not as we think we should be."

- Brené Brown

"Authenticity is not something we have or don’t have. It’s a practice—a conscious choice of how we want to live."

- Brené Brown

"Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day."

- Brené Brown

"The willingness to show up changes us, It makes us a little braver each time."

- Brené Brown

"Choosing authenticity means cultivating the courage to be imperfect, to set boundaries, and to allow ourselves to be vulnerable."

- Brené Brown

"Authenticity demands Wholehearted living and loving—even when it’s hard, even when we’re wrestling with the shame and fear of not being good enough, and especially when the joy is so intense that we’re afraid to let ourselves feel it."

- Brené Brown

"I define authenticity as the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are."

- Brené Brown

"Authenticity is not a set of criteria or a posture. It is a personal choice that we have to find our own way to."

- Brené Brown

"A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes."

- Brené Brown

"Daring leaders work to make sure people can be themselves and feel a sense of belonging."

- Brené Brown

"We need to have the courage to show up when we can’t control the outcome."

- Brené Brown

"Who we are is how we lead."

- Brené Brown

"Daring leaders are never silent about hard things."

- Brené Brown

"You can’t get to courage without rumbling with vulnerability. Embrace the suck."

- Brené Brown

"If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I am not interested in or open to your feedback."

- Brené Brown

"Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it."

- Brené Brown

"If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall; this is the physics of vulnerability."

- Brené Brown

"Rising strong after a fall gives us the power to write a daring new ending to our story."

- Brené Brown

"The process of regaining our emotional footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged."

- Brené Brown

"We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time."

- Brené Brown

"Trust is built in very small moments."

- Brené Brown

"What separates trust from distrust is our actions in those small moments."

- Brené Brown

"BRAVING: When we trust, we are braving connection with someone."

- Brené Brown

"In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen, really seen."

- Brené Brown

"Trust is choosing to make something important to you vulnerable to the actions of someone else."

- Brené Brown

"Trust is like a marble jar; you share those hard stories and those hard things that are happening to you with friends who over time you’ve filled up their marble jar. They’ve done thing after thing after thing where you’re like, ‘I know I can share this with this person.'"

- Brené Brown

"If your marble jar is not full, if you cannot trust someone, you cannot be vulnerable with them."

- Brené Brown

"Braving connections requires us to trust others, but first we must trust ourselves."

- Brené Brown

"Trust is the stacking and layering of small moments and reciprocal vulnerability over time."

- Brené Brown

"We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection. Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves. Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. Love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed and rare."

- Brené Brown

"Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change."

- Brené Brown

"We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions."

- Brené Brown

"The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It's our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows."

- Brené Brown

"Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it's often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis."

- Brené Brown

"If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief."

- Brené Brown

"Perfectionism is a self destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame."

- Brené Brown

"Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty."

- Brené Brown

"Healthy striving is self-focused: "How can I improve?" Perfectionism is other-focused: "What will they think?""

- Brené Brown

"When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated. This is why we sometimes attack who they are, which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice."

- Brené Brown

"Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we're all in this together."

- Brené Brown

"What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude."

- Brené Brown

"Our stories are not meant for everyone. Hearing them is a privilege, and we should always ask ourselves this before we share: "Who has earned the right to hear my story?" If we have one or two people in our lives who can sit with us and hold space for our shame stories, and love us for our strengths and struggles, we are incredibly lucky. If we have a friend, or small group of friends, or family who embraces our imperfections, vulnerabilities, and power, and fills us with a sense of belonging, we are incredibly lucky."

- Brené Brown

"Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives."

- Brené Brown

"Just because someone isn’t willing or able to love us, it doesn’t mean that we are unlovable."

- Brené Brown

"I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness–it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude."

- Brené Brown

"Nothing has transformed my life more than realizing that it’s a waste of time to evaluate my worthiness by weighing the reaction of the people in the stands."

- Brené Brown

"Trust is earned in the smallest of moments. It is earned not through heroic deeds, or even highly visible actions, but through paying attention, listening, and gestures of genuine care and connection."

- Brené Brown

"When I let go of trying to be everything to everyone, I had much more time, attention, love, and connection for the important people in my life."

- Brené Brown

"What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think – or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?"

- Brené Brown

"The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of our creativity."

- Brené Brown

"When I see people stand fully in their truth, or when I see someone fall down, get back up, and say, ‘Damn. That really hurt, but this is important to me and I’m going in again’—my gut reaction is, ‘What a badass.’"

- Brené Brown

"If we own the story then we can write the ending."

- Brené Brown

"Talk about your failures without apologizing."

- Brené Brown

"The truth is that falling hurts. The dare is to keep being brave and feel your way back up."

- Brené Brown

"There will be times when standing alone feels too hard, too scary, and we’ll doubt our ability to make our way through the uncertainty. Someone, somewhere, will say, ‘Don’t do it. You don’t have what it takes to survive the wilderness.’ This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, ‘I am the wilderness.'"

- Brené Brown

"Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light."

- Brené Brown

"When we combine the courage to make clear what works for us and what doesn’t with the compassion to assume people are doing their best, our lives change."

- Brené Brown

"Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up."

- Brené Brown

"You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness."

- Brené Brown

"Courage is contagious. A critical mass of brave leaders is the foundation of an intentionally courageous culture. Every time we are brave with our lives, we make the people around us a little braver and our organizations bolder and stronger."

- Brené Brown

"Brave leaders are never silent around hard things."

- Brené Brown

"We desperately need more leaders who are committed to courageous, wholehearted leadership and who are self-aware enough to lead from their hearts, rather than unevolved leaders who lead from hurt and fear."

- Brené Brown

"Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them."

- Brené Brown

"Everyone has a story or a struggle that will break your heart. And if we’re really paying attention, most people have a story that will bring us to our knees."

- Brené Brown

"Until we can receive with an open heart, we are never really giving with an open heart. When we attach judgment to receiving help, we knowingly, or unknowingly, attach judgment to giving help."

- Brené Brown

"I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship."

- Brené Brown

"Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection."

- Brené Brown

"To see and to be seen. That is the truest nature of love."

- Brené Brown

"Perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system."

- Brené Brown

"Perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis."

- Brené Brown

"Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be your best. Perfection is not about healthy achievement and growth."

- Brené Brown

"Healthy striving is self-focused: ‘How can I improve?’ Perfectionism is other-focused: ‘What will they think?’"

- Brené Brown

"Perfectionism is, at its core, about trying to earn approval and acceptance."

- Brené Brown

"Perfectionism is not a way to avoid shame. Perfectionism is a form of shame."

- Brené Brown

"Choosing to live and love with our whole hearts is an act of defiance."

- Brené Brown

"The irony is that we attempt to disown our difficult stories to appear more whole or more acceptable, but our wholeness—even our wholeheartedness—actually depends on the integration of all of our experiences, including the falls."

- Brené Brown

"Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness in our lives; it’s the process that teaches us the most about who we are."

- Brené Brown

"I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time."

- Brené Brown

"One of the greatest barriers to connection is the cultural importance we place on ‘going it alone.’ Somehow, we’ve come to equate success with not needing anyone. Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we’re very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It’s as if we’ve divided the world into ‘those who offer help’ and ‘those who need help.’ The truth is that we are both."

- Brené Brown

"True belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others…It's a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts."

- Brené Brown

"The opposite of scarcity is not abundance; the opposite of scarcity is simply enough. Empathy is not finite, and compassion is not a pizza with eight slices. When you practice empathy and compassion with someone, there is not less of these qualities to go around. There’s more. Love is the last thing we need to ration in this world."

- Brené Brown

"In a society that says, ‘Put yourself last,’ self-love and self-acceptance are almost revolutionary."

- Brené Brown

"If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive."

- Brené Brown

"Until we can receive with an open heart, we are never really giving with an open heart. When we attach judgment to receiving help, we knowingly or unknowingly attach judgment to giving help."

- Brené Brown

"Everyone has a story or a struggle that will break your heart. And, if we’re really paying attention, most people have a story that will bring us to our knees."

- Brené Brown

"Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They're compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment."

- Brené Brown

"Shame loves perfectionists — it’s so easy to keep us quiet."

- Brené Brown

"There will be times when standing alone feels too hard, too scary, and we’ll doubt our ability to make our way through the uncertainty. Someone, somewhere, will say, ‘Don’t do it. You don’t have what it takes to survive the wilderness.’ This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, ‘I am the wilderness.’"

- Brené Brown

"Hope is a function of struggle."

- Brené Brown

"Midlife: when the Universe grabs your shoulders and tells you “I’m not f-ing around, use the gifts you were given.”"

- Brené Brown

"The middle is messy, but it’s also where the magic happens."

- Brené Brown

"Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together."

- Brené Brown

"At the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of my life, I want to say that I contributed more than I criticized."

- Brené Brown

"Nostalgia is also a dangerous form of comparison. Think about how often we compare our lives to a memory that nostalgia has so completely edited that it never really existed."

- Brené Brown

"Numb the dark and you numb the light."

- Brené Brown

"Living a connected life ultimately is about setting boundaries, spending less time and energy hustling and winning over people who aren’t worth your time and energy."

- Brené Brown

"To own one’s history is to learn the pattern of one’s soul."

- Brené Brown

"Raising children should mean helping them to become what they already are in God’s eyes."

- Brené Brown

"The opposite of belonging is fitting in."

- Brené Brown

"Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning, and purpose to our lives."

- Brené Brown

"When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated."

- Brené Brown

"You can’t give your children what you don’t have yourself."

- Brené Brown

"We cannot raise children who are more shame-resilient than we are."

- Brené Brown

"We are born makers. We move what we’re learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands."

- Brené Brown

"Parenting is as much about our own transformation as it is about our children’s."

- Brené Brown

"The moment someone asks you to do something you don’t have the time or inclination to do is fraught with vulnerability. It is not a comfortable moment. It is 10,000 times easier to say, ‘Sure!’ than it is to say, ‘I just can’t right now."

- Brené Brown

"Every time we make the choice to love and value ourselves over catering to our children’s temporary satisfaction, we model self-love and self-respect."

- Brené Brown

"What we are teaches the child more than what we say, so we must be what we want our children to become."

- Brené Brown

"Our children are wired for struggle; our job is to provide them with hope and a sense of worth, not to shield them from every potential setback."

- Brené Brown

"Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don’t belong. You will always find it because you’ve made that your mission."

- Brené Brown

"The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared."

- Brené Brown

"Remember that criticism is easy; achievement is difficult."

- Brené Brown

"Dig deep—get deliberate, inspired, and going."

- Brené Brown

"Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind."

- Brené Brown

"Maybe stories are just data with a soul."

- Brené Brown

"Daring leadership is a collection of four skill sets that are 100% teachable."

- Brené Brown

"Armored leadership is about being a knower and being right. Daring leadership is about learning and getting it right."

- Brené Brown

"The stories we tell ourselves are powerful because they weave around us like spiderwebs, and can either give us a place to rest or wrap us in a cocoon."

- Brené Brown

"Without gratitude, joy becomes just another commodity, and its value begins to erode."

- Brené Brown

"The relationship between joy and gratitude was one of the most important things I found in my research. I wasn’t expecting that. I was expecting the opposite. I was expecting people to say joy is what makes us grateful, not being grateful brings joy."

- Brené Brown

"Boundaries are simply what’s okay and what’s not okay."

- Brené Brown

"I have a boundary to not spend time with people who try to bully my values."

- Brené Brown

"Children are not perfect, they are learning; and you are in a unique position to help them understand the world and themselves."

- Brené Brown

"Nothing is sustainable without boundaries."

- Brené Brown

"Who we are and how we engage with the world are much stronger predictors of how our children will do than what we know about parenting."

- Brené Brown

"Let go of the people who tell you that you are asking too much and not enough all at once."

- Brené Brown

"I am not as sweet as I used to be, but I am far more loving."

- Brené Brown

"Make a list of the people who would move a body for you and the people you would move a body for. That’s your boundary list."

- Brené Brown

"Parenting is a constant struggle between making your kids’ life easy and making it hard."

- Brené Brown

"Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others."