Bernie Siegel Quotes

Being a survivor doesn't mean being strong - it's telling people when you need a meal or a ride, company, whatever. It's paying attention to heart wisdom, feelings, not living a role, but having a unique, authentic life, having something to contribute, finding time to love and laugh. All these things are qualities of survivors.

We need to make friends with ourselves. We are stuck with our self all day, so let's be kinder, gentler, more amusing company. Let's take our own hand and say, 'There, there, sister. You're doing a good job. I'm proud of how you're handling all this craziness down here. Don't give up. Carry on, warrior.'

Finally, be kind to yourself and have a good support system.

I have learned to become not an M.D. but a 'C.D.' for the wounded people I meet. Yes, a 'Chosen Dad' who may not like their behavior but loves and reparents them and helps them to heal their lives and find self-worth and self-esteem and save their lives.

I don't have the best self esteem; mine wavers month to month, but I know how to pick myself up.

You're only lonely if you're not there for you.

I've always thought that people need to feel good about themselves and I see my role as offering support to them, to provide some light along the way.

Self-compassion is how we recover.

I've been searching for ways to heal myself, and I've found that kindness is the best way.

One of the biggest ways we don't support ourselves is by not asking for support. Asking can take courage, but the reward is immense.

Be kind. Be nice to yourself. You miss a shot, it's OK.

If you don't have the love and support of your family, you need to find someone out there who you can confide in and share your concerns and worries with. And someone who can lift your spirits and make you feel valuable and strong and powerful.

You can be a successful woman and also be vulnerable, and that's important to show people.

It's okay to have moments where you feel weak; you don't always have to be strong.

You've got to be your own best friend.

Be kind to yourself so you can be happy enough to be kind to the world.

Loving and accepting ourselves are the ultimate acts of courage.

Compassion for myself is the most powerful healer of them all.

Radical self-care is what we've been longing for, desperate for, our entire lives-friendship with our own hearts.

These past couple of years have been about learning to not sabotage myself in a subtler way - for instance, even just by putting moisturiser on when I get out of the shower. Learning to honour myself and believing that I'm worth taking care of.

Treating myself like a precious object will make me strong.

You’ll be all right. You’re strong. I know you’ll be okay because I like you and you can’t like someone who doesn’t like themself. The people I fear for are the ones who I don’t like because they hate themselves so much they won’t let anyone else like them either. But I do like you. I’ll miss you. And I know you’ll be okay.

As long as you're around, your life is too. So just as you shower love and affection and attention on the husbands, wives, parents, children and forever friends who sorround you, you have to do so equally with your life, because it's yours, it's you, and it's always there rooting for you, cheering you on, even when you feel like you can't do it. I gave up on my life for a while, but what I've learned is that even when that happens and especially when that happens, life never gives up on you.

Don't abuse yourself or withhold self-love or self-care.

Love yourself and you can heal your life.