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What is guilt? It is moral self-reproach-I did wrong when it was possible to have done otherwise.

Nathaniel Branden

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Nathaniel Branden
Age: 84 †
Born: 1930
Born: April 9
Died: 2014
Died: December 3
Academic
Non-Fiction Writer
Psychologist
Psychotherapist
Self
Done
Reproach
Guilt
Otherwise
Possible
Moral
Wrong

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Loving consciously does not mean subjecting your relationship to endless analysis. It means something much simpler: paying attention. Noticing. This requires presence.
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Anyone who really loves you wants you to be authentic. And anyone who doesn't want you to be authentic doesn't really love you.
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Fear and pain should be treated as signals not to close our eyes but to open them wider.
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To exist without purpose is to be at the mercy of the chance encounter, the chance invitation, the chance phone call, the chance event- always being controlled by forces external to oneself.
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In any culture, subculture, or family in which belief is valued above thought, and self-surrender is valued above self-expression, and conformity is valued above integrity, those who preserve their self-esteem are likely to be heroic exceptions.
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A woman in love will do almost anything for a man, except give up the desire to improve him.
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A goal without an action plan is a daydream.
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The ultimate test of our integrity is not how we deal with those whom we agree but how we deal with those who we do not agree.
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Freedom is still the most radical idea of all.
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There is no value-judgment more important to a man--no factor more decisive in his psychological development and motivation--than the estimate he passes on himself.
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There is overwhelming evidence that the higher the level of self-esteem, the more likely one will be to treat others with respect, kindness, and generosity.
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Accepting does not necessarily mean liking, enjoying, condoning. I can accept what is-and be determined to evolve from there. It is not acceptance but denial that leaves me stuck.
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Most of the time, I regard the judgment of people as a waste of time. I regard the judgment of behavior as imperative.
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Even when our life is most difficult, it is important to remember that something within us is keeping us alive- the life force-that lift us, energizes us, pulls us back sometimes from the abyss of despair. True spirituality does not exist without love of life.
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There is only one reality - the reality knowable to reason. And if man does not choose to perceive it, there is nothing else for him to perceive if it is not of this world that he is conscious, then he is not conscious at all
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Your choices have psychological consequences. The way you choose to deal with reality, truth, facts - your choice to honor or dishonor your own perceptions - registers in your mind, for good or for bad, and either confirms and strengthens your self-esteem or undermines and weakens it.
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Feel deeply to think clearly.
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The first love affair you must consummate is the love affair with yourself. Only then are you ready for a romantic relationship.
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If we do not believe in ourselves- neither in our efficacy nor in our goodness- the universe is a frightening place.
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An emotion is both a mental and a physical event.
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