Natalie Goldberg Quotes

I am certainly not perfect. I don't think you should try to be perfect for anyone. When you come to terms with that, then you're OK.

Writing was my route to creative expression, and I needed to write about the things that interested me.

As far as writing, it's grown because I've really grown comfortable with who I am.

The biggest sacrifice to me is to not be in an atmosphere where I can keep writing and moving forward.

Writing gave me a life.

I feel, as an artist, it's important for me to write, and that's a big part of what my journey is - being able to write my stories and talk about stuff.

Have compassion for yourself when you write. There is no failure - just a big field to wander in.

Be as honest with yourself as you possibly can. And it's not going to work for everybody, and I know you're going to be afraid of that, but please don't worry about being accepted by everybody. The people who like you and want to be around you, that's what matters, and that's what's healthiest for yourself.

The biggest obstacle I've had to overcome is loving myself 100%. And that's still a battle. I love myself, but sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. And I think I've been my worst enemy in life, because others haven't been able to do anything to me unless I allowed them to do it.

So what if you're not perfect? nobody else is either.

If you don’t find a way to love a flawed person, secretly you’re teaching yourself that you are not lovable because of your flaws.

I've learned to take time for myself and to treat myself with a great deal of love and respect, because I like me.. I think I'm kind of cool.

On this sacred path of Radical Acceptance, rather than striving for perfection, we discover how to love ourselves into wholeness.

I have been missing the point. The point is not knowing another person, or learning to love another person. The point is simply this: how tender can we bear to be? What good manners can we show as we welcome ourselves and others into our hearts?

I suppose . . . in writing you can't have regrets. I mean, you just get it down the way it was . . . it's only wishful thinking that things could be other than they were.

You have to surrender to your mediocrity, and just write. Because it's hard, really hard, to write even a crappy book. But it's better to write a book that kind of sucks rather than no book at all, as you wait around to magically become Faulkner. No one is going to write your book for you and you can't write anybody's book but your own.

Self-acceptance begets acceptance from others, which begets even deeper, more genuine self-acceptance. It can be done. But no one is going to bestow it on you. It is a gift only you can give yourself.

I once considered writing a book called I'm not OK and you're not OK, and that's OK.

We are not meant to be perfect; we are meant to be whole

Our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self acceptance.

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life Besides, perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force (these are words we are allowed to use in California).

To not love ourselves can keep what we want from us.

If you don't accept yourself, you won't live fully, and if you don't live fully you'll need to get full some other way.