Quote

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.

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
Force
Forces
Invitations
Without
Mercy
Encounter
Always
Oneself
Encounters
Exist
External
Events
Controlled
Call
Phone
Chance
Event
Purpose
Phones
Invitation

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It is painful to face the self we know we have never had the integrity to honor and assert.
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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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The natural inclination of a child is to take pleasure in the use of the mind no less than of the body. The child's primary business is learning. It is also the primary entertainment. To retain that orientation into adulthood, so that consciousness is not a burden but a joy, is the mark of the successfully developed human being.
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A goal without an action plan is a daydream.
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If you face life without confidence in your own powers, you succumb too easily to setbacks and adversity you lack the will to persevere.
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If we attach more importance to what other people believe than to what we know to be true - if we value belonging over being - we will not attain authenticity.
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The greater a child’s terror, and the earlier it is experienced, the harder it becomes to develop a strong and healthy sense of self.
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Either you will make your life work, or your life will not work.
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To live consciously means to seek to be aware of everything that bears on our actions, purposes, values, and goals—to the best of our ability, whatever that ability may be—and to behave in accordance with that which we see and know.
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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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Fear and pain should be treated as signals not to close our eyes but to open them wider.
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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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If my aim is to prove I am 'enough,' the project goes on to infinity-because the battle was already lost on the day I conceded the issue was debatable.
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We tend to feel most comfortable, most at home, with people whose self esteem level resembles our own.
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A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.
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It is naive to think that self-assertiveness is easy. To live self-assertively--which means to live authentically--is an act of high courage. That is why so many people spend the better part of their lives in hiding--from others and also from themselves.
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A bully hides his fears with fake bravado. That is the opposite of self-assertiveness.
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We are anxious when there is a dissonance between our knowledge and the perceivable facts. Since our knowledge is not to be doubted or questioned, it is the facts that have to be altered.
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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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The reputation you have with yourself - your self-esteem - is the single most important factor for a fulfilling life.
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