“My first love was some insignificant boy when it should have been myself.”— Michelle K., michellekpoems.tumblr.com
“I was so young before New York that I believed loving myself each day would be easier there. But lying in bed, I can hear the wind, and the trees shaking because they have no choice, and I want to go someplace where the trees grow apples shiny and persistent as stars.”— Carlie Hoffman, narrativemagazine.com
“But you are not and never have been an apology, a mistake or a thing to be forgotten. Remember that in the way you wear your skin every morning.”— Nikita Gill, shopcatalog.com
“You see, you may be damaged and broken and unhinged. But so are shooting stars and comets.”— Nikita Gill, shopcatalog.com
“And the sun does not shine because someone else wants it to. It shines because that is what it was born to do.”— Nikita Gill, yoursoulisariver.com
“How do you trap a big monkey in a small cage the size of a banana? Easy! You place a banana inside the cage and leave an opening large enough for the monkey’s hand, but not for the banana. As soon as the monkey grabs the banana, it’s trapped. The monkey can set itself free if it lets go of the banan…”— Ronit Baras, changingminds.org
“Move forward and repeat after me with your heart: ‘I no longer need you to fuck me as hard as I hated myself.’ Make love to me like you know I am better than the worst thing I ever did.”— Buddy Wakefield, genius.com
“You will love again the stranger who was your self. Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you all your life, whom you ignored for another, who knows you by heart. Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, the photographs, the desperate notes, peel…”— Derek Walcott, brainpickings.org
“It can be hard to take time out for ourselves for anything, even a little self-love. Try to cut out the usual distractions, like turning off your phone ringer.”— Arti Patel, huffingtonpost.ca
“She did know that it's remarkably easy to fall in love with someone who is already in love with you. It's a little like falling in love with yourself.”— Sarah Addison Allen, amazon.com
“I'm a lot more capable than I was led to believe. Fuck the unbelievers in your life. You're as strong and as read as you want.”— Adam Gnade, amazon.com
“What small steps can I take to show that I am serious about loving myself?”— Rezzan Hussey, thoughtcatalog.com
“Instead of imagining what could’ve happened with your almost-boyfriend, focus on yourself. Go out with your friends. Focus on your goals and passions. Go to that yoga class you stopped going to. Read the books that have been on your reading list for the past six months.”— Paige Sheffield, thelala.com