Quotes and thoughts: from myself and others

Pride works from within; it is the direct appreciation of oneself. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer

Pride, like all emotions, has two faces: one healthy and one sick. It is our challenge to use the healthy side well.

Sick pride fills us with ourselves, looks down on others, and has no room for generosity. Healthy pride is heavy with humility. If we can feel joyful when we succeed, and tell others about it honestly, we are not being boastful.

Sick pride often keeps us from doing things because we are too proud to ask for help when we need it, or too proud to risk failure, or too proud to do anything that might not turn out perfect. Healthy pride about our greatest victories always comes with the awareness that we did not do it all by ourselves.

We had the aid, advice, and encouragement of loved ones. In all things that really count, we never walk alone.

We know we aren't perfect, but we can't tolerate hearing it from someone else. Why is that?

We know other people aren't perfect either. Where did we get the idea that were supposed to be error-free? To accept our own imperfection is to make a giant step toward peace of mind. To accept that the world is full of people who disagree with us. Some of whom even love us very much ! To recognize this is to begin to achieve maturity. Perhaps we think, or used to think, that we would be happy when we rubbed out our last traces of imperfection. That is not happiness, that is to become marble ,hard, cold, and breakable.