Self-love is the process of showing ourselves compassion and acceptance, regardless of our circumstances. It requires us to embrace our authenticity, create boundaries to keep ourselves safe and express our needs.

It’s an ongoing practice that many of us may struggle to maintain. Some of us may not even know where to start.

Today, we’ll discover some insightful self-love quotes and gain inspiration that we can apply to our own lives.

1. “To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.” ― Oscar Wilde

The relationship we have with ourselves is the longest and most personal one we’ll ever have.

Cultivating unconditional love for ourselves creates an unshakably safe, supportive relationship we can always trust.

2. “If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.” ― Charles Bukowski

Some say we can’t truly love others until we love ourselves. True or not, loving ourselves first ensures we have a healthy foundation to navigate the world. It leads to self-acceptance and healthy boundaries. Conscious self-love allows us to accept our authenticity, understand our needs and worth, and uphold healthy boundaries with ourselves and others.

3. “I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side.” ― Dr. Maya Angelou

Self-love enables us to always have our own back. This doesn’t mean that we’re always right, or unwilling to help others. Being on our own side means that we’ll stand up for ourselves.

We won’t tolerate mistreatment (from ourselves or others). It means we’ll allow ourselves to express opinions and convictions, even when others disagree.

4. “As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is “authenticity.” ― Charlie Chaplin

A lack of self-love can cause us to reject parts of ourselves. Whether this is caused by shame, the desire to please others, or societal expectations, living inauthentically can be painful.

We can’t fully love ourselves while denying parts of our existence. Self-love requires that we acknowledge and accept ourselves fully.

This allows us to show up authentically. It’s from this place of authenticity that we form genuine connections with others and an appreciation for ourselves.

It also allows us to admit things we need to work on instead of denying uncomfortable truths.

5. “Talk to yourself like someone you love.” ― Brene Brown

An important piece of self-love is being mindful of how we speak to ourselves. Our internal voice can be mean and critical.

We often speak to ourselves in a way that we’d never talk to someone we loved. It’s helpful to treat ourselves as we would a friend or child, with compassion and patience.

6. “A lot of times we are angry at other people for not doing what we should have done for ourselves.” ― Rupi Kaur

This includes loving ourselves. If we don’t, we’ll struggle to understand our needs. And if we deny parts of ourselves, we won’t feel worthy of love in our entirety.

This can make having healthy relationships with others challenging. We may resent people for not knowing what we need, or become angry/fearful when they try to get close to us.

This pattern may continue until we look inwards; we only allow ourselves to be loved as deeply as we know how to love ourselves.

7. “Love yourself when you’re tired. Love yourself when you’re weak. Love yourself when you’re confused. Love yourself when you’re broken. Love yourself when you’re restored.” — MB

Our love for ourselves shouldn’t change based on circumstance. It’s a lifetime commitment, not a reward to be earned.

Summary

Self-love is the ultimate act of courage. It requires us to embrace ourselves fully, seek what we deserve, and let go of what harms us.

Be brave and take a chance on self-love.

Sources:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/self-love

https://parade.com/976404/stephanieosmanski/self-love-quotes/