Self-Awareness Quotes
These interesting quotes on self-awareness help to articulate the concept of being ‘self-aware’ and just why it’s so important to a fulfilling, authentic life.
What is self-awareness?
Self-awareness is the ability to be aware of your own thoughts, feelings and sensations. It is being in touch with who you are and how you are reacting in any given moment.
It’s knowing yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, your likes and dislikes. What you need, what you want in life and why you do the things that you do.
What is the importance of self-awareness?
Self-awareness is important because it allows us to understand ourselves better. And when we understand ourselves better, we can make better decisions and choices that take us along a path we want to be going on – not just with the flow of life!
We can actively play to our strengths and find way to compensate or improve on weaknesses.
It can also allow us to better manage our emotions – when we are aware of how we feel, we can control our reactions more effectively. This of course makes for better relationships too.
How can I increase my self-awareness?
There are many ways to increase your self-awareness, including;
- Observing yourself – paying attention to how you react in different situations. Notice your thoughts in the moment, your feelings and how you behaved.
- Reflect on past experiences – think about times you were happy and proud of yourself, as well as times when you were upset and frustrated. What was happening? Why? How did you feel afterwards?
- Talk – to your closest friends and family and ask for some feedback. What do they think are your strengths and weaknesses? What do they notice about how you react, what you get excited about and times that you’re at your best?
- Journal – writing about our experiences can help us to better understand ourselves and is a great tool for self-discovery in general.
In the meantime though, the following quotes all about self-awareness can help to light a flame in you, articulate the meaning of becoming ‘self-aware’ and offer some wise words of wisdom on an important self-discovery journey.
Self-Awareness Quotes
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” Carl Gustav Jung
“At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” Lao Tzu
A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.” James Allen
Self-awareness is the ability to take an honest look at your life without any attachment to it being right or wrong, good or bad. Debbie Ford
“Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” Carl Gustav Jung
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Carl R. Rogers
“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.” Ralph Ellison
People need to know that they have all the tools within themselves. Self-awareness, which means awareness of their body, awareness of their mental space, awareness of their relationships – not only with each other, but with life and the ecosystem. Deepak Chopra
“Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?” Marcus Aurelius
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” Carl Gustav Jung
“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.” Michel de Montaigne
The mind’s first step to self-awareness must be through the body. George A. Sheehan
Practice self-awareness, self-evaluation, and self-improvement. If we are aware that our manners – language, behavior, and actions – are measured against our values and principles, we are able to more easily embody the philosophy, leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do. Frances Hesselbein
Self-awareness is not the same thing as self-approval, any more than imagination is the same thing as day-dreaming. Francis Spufford
Importance of Self-Awareness Quotes
As mentioned above, self-awareness is very important for a fulfilled, authentic life. The following quotes help to articulate this further:
“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.” Brene Brown
“The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.” Pema Chödrön
I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards being a champion. Billie Jean King
“Strong people have a strong sense of self-worth and self-awareness; they don’t need the approval of others.” Roy T. Bennett
Self-awareness is not self-centeredness, and spirituality is not narcissism. ‘Know thyself’ is not a narcissistic pursuit. Marianne Williamson
“Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.” André Malraux
A workplace that encourages self-awareness is an environment where the most productive, curious, and innovative people thrive. Neil Blumenthal
If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far. Daniel Goleman
Try to imagine that you’re the strongest, most noble, most thoughtful, most compassionate, intelligent person in the world, and pretend to be that. Speak from that place. It’s more than self-awareness; it’s the ability to access this super-intelligence. Andrew W.K.
I’m not dieting anymore. I want to eat what my body is asking of me. Just listen to your body in general – it’s all self-awareness. Mary Lambert
“Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave.” G.I. Gurdjieff
Famous Self Awareness Quotes
These famous self-awareness quotes offer an interesting perspective:
“The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.” Mark Twain
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Aristotle
“To say “I love you” one must know first how to say the “I”.” Ayn Rand
“It isn’t normal to know what we want. It is a rare and difficult psychological achievement.” Abraham Harold Maslow
Every time I rap about being a big girl in a small world, it’s doing a couple things: it’s empowering my self-awareness, my body image, and it’s also making the statement that we are all bigger than this; we’re a part of something bigger than this, and we should live in each moment knowing that. Lizzo
Without self-awareness we are as babies in the cradles. – Virginia Woolf
“You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.” Ernest Hemingway
Self-awareness is value-free. It isn’t scary. It doesn’t imply that you will subject yourself to needless pain. Deepak Chopra
“At 30 a man should know himself like the palm of his hand, know the exact number of his defects and qualities, know how far he can go, foretell his failures – be what he is. And, above all, accept these things.” Albert Camus
I dislike the word ‘self-help.’ Self-awareness, yes, but not self-help. Deepak Chopra
As you become more clear about who you really are, you’ll be better able to decide what is best for you, the first time around. – Oprah Winfrey
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” Dolly Parton
“My friend…care for your psyche…know thyself, for once we know ourselves, we may learn how to care for ourselves.” Socrates
Self-awareness is also the foundation for emotional intelligence.
It allows you to understand your own emotions and how they are impacting others, and when you increase your self-awareness, you can better manage stress, anxiety and anger. It’s a win/win for the relationships with yourself and those around you.
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