Embrace Self-Love: 50 Empowering Quotes to Inspire and Motivate

Self-love is a fundamental aspect of personal growth and well-being. It's the foundation upon which we build confidence, resilience, and a positive self-image. In a world that often emphasises criticism and comparison, cultivating self-love is not always easy, but it's incredibly important.

To help you on your journey towards self-love and acceptance, here's a curated list of 50 empowering quotes from various sources, ranging from philosophers to modern-day influencers, to inspire and motivate you.

1. "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance." - Oscar Wilde

2. "You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." - Buddha

3. "Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin, as self-neglecting." - William Shakespeare

4. "The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself." - Steve Maraboli

5. "You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." - Sharon Salzberg

6. "Self-love is the source of all our other loves." - Pierre Corneille

7. "To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness." - Robert Morley

8. "Loving yourself isn’t vanity. It’s sanity." - Andre Gide

9. "Self-love is not selfish; you cannot truly love another until you know how to love yourself." - Unknown

10. "Be proud of who you are, and not ashamed of how someone else sees you." - Unknown

11. "Self-love is an ocean and your heart is a vessel. Make it full, and any excess will spill over into the lives of the people you hold dear. But you must come first." - Beau Taplin

12. "You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously." - Sophia Bush

13. "Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have." - Robert Holden

14. "You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody." - Maya Angelou

15. "Self-love is the elixir of an immortal heart." - Amy Leigh Mercree

16. "Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others." - Parker Palmer

17. "You owe yourself the love that you so freely give to other people." - Unknown

18. "Self-love is not just a state of feeling good. It is a state of appreciation for oneself, which grows from actions that support our physical, psychological, and spiritual growth." - Deborah Day

19. "Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept." - Anna Taylor

20. "Remember, you have been criticising yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens." - Louise Hay

21. "Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth." - Unknown

22. "Self-love is about accepting all of you." - Tyra Banks

23. "You are worthy of the love you keep trying to give everyone else." - Unknown

24. "You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first." - Unknown

25. "Self-love is not a destination, but a journey. It’s not about becoming someone else, but about becoming yourself." - Unknown

26. "The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore." - C. JoyBell C.

27. "Self-love requires you to be honest about your current choices and thought patterns and undertake new practices that reflect self-worth." - Caroline Kirk

28. "Fall in love with taking care of yourself: mind, body, and spirit." - Unknown

29. "The most important relationship in your life is the relationship you have with yourself. Because no matter what happens, you will always be with yourself." - Diane Von Furstenberg

30. "Self-love is not selfish; it’s necessary. You cannot truly love another until you know how to love yourself." - Unknown

31. "You are confined only by the walls you build yourself." - Andrew Murphy

32. "The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence." - Blake Lively

33. "Self-love is the greatest middle finger of all time." - Unknown

34. "Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have." - Unknown

35. "You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop." - Rumi

36. "I don’t want to be someone’s 'other half.' I want to be whole and feel complete on my own." - Unknown

37. "You are allowed to outgrow people who no longer serve your growth." - Unknown

38. "You have been criticising yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens." - Louise L. Hay

39. "Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball

40. "You are the only person on earth who can use your ability." - Zig Ziglar

41. "The more you love yourself, the less nonsense you’ll tolerate." - Unknown

42. "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." - Rumi

43. "You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy." - Unknown

44. "You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." - Sharon Salzberg

45. "Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept." - Anna Taylor

46. "You are enough just as you are." - Meghan Markle

47. "You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop." - Rumi

48. "Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship you have." - Unknown

49. "Self-love is not selfish; it’s necessary. You cannot truly love another until you know how to love yourself." - Unknown

50. "You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop." - Rumi

Self-love is not always easy, but it's a journey worth embarking on. These empowering quotes serve as reminders that self-love is essential for our well-being, happiness, and fulfillment. By embracing ourselves fully, flaws and all, we can cultivate a deep sense of self-acceptance and compassion that radiates outwards, enriching our relationships and our lives.

So, let these quotes inspire and motivate you to prioritise self-love each and every day, for you are worthy of all the love and kindness in the world.