Low Self Esteem Quotes (34 Sayings That Inspire)

This collection of quotes is about having low self esteem and overcoming it. They are enlightening and help to encourage a shift in focus – away from the negative and more to empowered thoughts.

Self esteem is the opinion we hold of ourselves and it can either help or hinder our quality of life.

What is Low Self Esteem?

Low self esteem is having an overall negative feeling about yourself.

People with low self esteem have a poor opinion about themselves and their abilities. They may feel bad, inadequate, or ashamed of themselves for various reasons.

People who have low self esteem often believe that they do not have much to offer other people in terms of personality or talents. They also tend to be pessimistic when facing new challenges.

While we all lack confidence at times, people with low self-esteem tend to feel unhappy about themselves most of the time, which affects their daily lives. 

When someone’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors are driven by a low self esteem, it’s therefore not surprising that it will impact happiness and success in life. Low self esteem can impact mental health and should not be taken lightly. 

Building up our self esteem takes awareness, repeated effort and sometimes external help.  

The following quotes help to raise awareness of our own level of self esteem and aim to inspire and empower you. 

 

Low Self Esteem Quotes

 

“Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-brake on.” Maxwell Maltz

 

 

Self-awareness is not self-centeredness, and spirituality is not narcissism. ‘Know thyself’ is not a narcissistic pursuit. Marianne Williamson

 

“It’s insecurity that is always chasing you and standing in the way of your dreams.” Vin Diesel

 

“Often those that criticise others reveal what he himself lacks.” Shannon L. Alder

 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson

 

“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.” Cicero

 

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” Michelangelo

 

“If you spend your time hoping someone will suffer the consequences for what they did to your heart, then you’re allowing them to hurt you a second time in your mind.” Shannon L. Alder

 

“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” Lao Tzu

 

Overcoming Low Self-Esteem Quotes

 

“To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don’t wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now.” Alan Cohen

 

“It’s not the lack of ability or opportunity that holds you back; it is only a lack of confidence in yourself.” Richard Monckton Milnes

 

“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” Helen Keller

 

“Too low they build, who build beneath the stars.” Edward Young

 

 

 

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.” Mark Victor Hansen

 

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

 

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.” Dalai Lama

 

“I’ve spent most of my life in prison. I was a prisoner of my fear and my low self-esteem.” Gerry Cooney

 

“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life.” Marcus Garvey

 

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” Louise May Alcott

 

“Low self-esteem is no better home to take a refuge. It does not keep you comforted from any danger; it keeps you confined away from your real belongings!” Israelmore Ayivor

 

“Many of us harbor hidden low self-esteem. We deem everything and everyone more important that ourselves and think that meeting their needs is more important than meeting our own. But if you run out of gas, everyone riding with you will be left stranded.” T. D. Jakes

 

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” Sir Edmund Hillary

 

“Shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look, how we perform, is truly important to other people.” Andre Dubus III

 

“I haven’t always been confident. I actually suffered with low self-esteem growing up. Eventually, I got to a point where I was just like, ‘OK, this is taking too much energy.’ After that, I started accepting myself for who I was, and I was like, whoever is not going to accept it, they weren’t really meant to be in my life in that way.” La’Porsha Renae

 

“Accept who you are; and revel in it.” Mitch Albom

 

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” Buddha

 

Lack Of Self Esteem Quotes

 

“Lack of confidence is what makes you want to change somebody else’s mind. When you’re OK, you don’t need to convince anyone else in order to empower yourself.” Jada Pinkett Smith

 

“I had to grow to love my body. I did not have a good self-image at first. Finally, it occurred to me, I’m either going to love me or hate me. And I chose to love myself. Then everything kind of sprung from there. Things that I thought weren’t attractive became sexy. Confidence makes you sexy.” Queen Latifah

 

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” John Wooden

 

 

“Hiding, secrets, and not being able to be yourself is one of the worst things ever for a person. It gives you low self-esteem. You never get to reach that peak in your life. You should always be able to be yourself and be proud of yourself.” Grace Jones

 

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” Mahatma Gandhi

 

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Dale Carnegie

 

If you’re interested in more inspiring quotes and uplifting words on self esteem and confidence, be sure to check out:

• The Enormous Benefits of Confidence & High Self Esteem
• 26 Short Self-Love Quotes (To Inspire Acceptance)
• Know Your Worth Quotes & Why It’s Important
• An Epic List of Affirmations for Self Esteem, Confidence & Self Love
• 20 Empowering Body Confidence Quotes To Question Our Thinking
• 42 Quotes About Self Confidence & To Encourage Belief In Yourself
• 55 Beautiful Quotes About Self-Love