Negative Self Talk Quotes
Negative self-talk refers to the internal dialogue we have with ourselves when it’s of a negative, critical, and unhelpful nature.
This type of self-talk can lead to feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and depression, and can ultimately hold us back from achieving our goals and living fulfilling lives.
It’s important to be aware of negative self-talk because it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, influencing our thoughts, feelings, and behavior in a way that reinforces negative beliefs about ourselves.
Recognizing negative self-talk is the first step in learning to challenge and reframe these thoughts, replacing them with more positive and empowering self-talk.
Here is a list of thought-provoking quotes about negative self-talk that can inspire you to become more aware of your inner dialogue.
Negative Self Talk Quotes
“Be careful how you are talking to yourself because you are listening.” Lisa M. Hayes
“If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.” Napoleon Hill
“Believing in negative thoughts is the single greatest obstruction to success.” Charles F. Glassman
“Don’t let negative and toxic people rent space in your head. Raise the rent and kick them out!” Robert Tew
“It is not always possible to do away with negative thinking, but with persistence and practice, one can gain mastery over them so that they do not take the upper hand.” Stephen Richards
“It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.” Robert H. Schuller
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent van Gogh
Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results. Willie Nelson
“Turn down the volume of your negative inner voice and create a nurturing inner voice to take it’s place. When you make a mistake, forgive yourself, learn from it, and move on instead of obsessing about it. Equally important, don’t allow anyone else to dwell on your mistakes or shortcomings or to expect perfection from you.” Beverly Engel
“I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.” Aristotle
“The old saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Yet, my own negative self-talk is certain to make my words both sticks and stones.”
Craig D. Lounsbrough
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” William James
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” Rumi
“Every human has four endowments – self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” Stephen Covey
“There are times when we are just not very kind to ourselves. The problem with our negative thoughts is that the latest science has revealed that thoughts are very powerful, even impacting us physically.” Elizabeth Thornton
“You are not a mistake. You are not a problem to be solved. But you won’t discover this until you are willing to stop banging your head against the wall of shaming and caging and fearing yourself.” Geneen Roth
“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” Sir Edmund Hillary
“Self-reflection is so healthy. Journaling works for me – when I record the details of what I’m going through, whether it’s a relationship issue or negative thoughts, I can look back and see how far I’ve come. It makes me proud to see my progress and how I got through a bad situation.” Kelly Rowland
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” Franklin D. Roosevelt
“When I have these negative thoughts and feelings, I like to dig into them because I like to get under them and see what’s in there.” Baron Vaughn
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” Will Rogers
“When the negative thoughts come – and they will; they come to all of us – it’s not enough to just not dwell on it… You’ve got to replace it with a positive thought.” Joel Osteen
“Things don’t just fall into place because you have a dream. You’re always going to have those negative thoughts. Our minds love to play with us – we’re going to be our own worst critics – but I just say to myself, ‘File it back.’ I just try to bring any negative thoughts to light and deal with them, so I can file them away.” Stephen Colletti
“Someone taught me this really lovely thing, which is when you’re panicking or thinking, ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do this,’ you just say, ‘Right. Hi, negative thoughts. Stop bothering me. If you just wait there, I’m going to do this job, then I’ll come back and talk to you later.'” Zoe Ball
“Negative thoughts stick around because we believe them, not because we want them or choose them.” Andrew J. Bernstein
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.” Ernest Hemingway
“Be yourself, but always your better self.” Karl G. Maeser
“There are so many people who will tell you that you can’t do this, but you have to make sure that your voice isn’t going to be one of them.” Pooja Agnihotri
Remember that negative self-talk is a habit that can be changed with awareness and practice. These quotes can serve as a reminder to be kind to yourself and to replace negative self-talk with positive and empowering self-talk.
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