Great tranquility of heart is his who cares for neither praise nor blame.
—Thomas a Kempis (1379–1471) German Religious Priest, Writer
Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
Luck is always waiting for something to turn up. Labor, with keen eyes and strong will, always turns up something. Luck lies in bed and wishes the postman will bring news of a legacy. Labor turns out at six o’clock and with busy pen or ringing hammer, lays the foundation of a competence. Luck whines. Labor whistles. Luck relies on chance, labor on character.
—Richard Cobden
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American First Lady, Diplomat, Humanitarian
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
—Henry Stanley Haskins
A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.
—Robert A. Heinlein (1907–88) American Science Fiction Writer
Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.
—Vince Lombardi (1913–70) American Football Coach
Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy…. Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture … Do not build obstacles in your imagination … Do not be awestruck by other people and try to copy them. Nobody can be you as efficiently as you can.
—Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) American Clergyman, Self-Help Author
You are educated when you have the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic.
—Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) Finnish Composer
If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
The man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.
—Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) Scottish-American Industrialist
People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.
—Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) American Clergyman, Self-Help Author
Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.
—Malcolm S. Forbes (1919–1990) American Publisher, Businessperson
Other people’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.
—Les Brown
There is a difference between conceit and confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done.
—Johnny Unitas (1933–2002) American Football Player
With confidence, you can reach truly amazing heights; without confidence, even the simplest accomplishments are beyond your grasp.
—Jim Loehr
Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.
—Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) American Clergyman, Self-Help Author
Nobody holds a good opinion of a man who has a low opinion of himself.
—Anthony Trollope (1815–82) English Novelist
One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.
—Arthur Ashe (1943–93) American Tennis Player
Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. You must be able to sustain yourself against staggering blows. There is no code of conduct to help beginners. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent.
—Sophia Loren (b.1934) Italian Actor
The most vital quality a soldier can possess is self-confidence, utter, complete and bumptious.
—George S. Patton (1885–1945) American Military Leader
We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.
—e. e. cummings (1894–1962) American Poet, Writer, Painter
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
Confidence is half of victory.
—Yiddish Proverb
With greater confidence in yourself and your abilities, you will set bigger goals, make bigger plans and commit yourself to achieving objectives that today you only dream about.
—Brian Tracy (b.1944) American Author, Motivational Speaker
It is easy—terribly easy—to shake a man’s faith in himself. To take advantage of that to break a man’s spirit is devil’s work.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradle. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, most quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself.
—Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) English Novelist
The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are often no longer strong.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
Calm self-confidence is as far from conceit as the desire to earn a decent living is remote from greed.
—Channing Pollock (1880–1946)
American Playwright, Critic
There’s one blessing only, the source and cornerstone of beatitude: confidence in self.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear.
—William Jennings Bryan (1860–1925) American Political leader, Diplomat, Politician
Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.
—Brian Tracy (b.1944) American Author, Motivational Speaker
The history of the world is full of men who rose to leadership, by sheer force of self-confidence, bravery and tenacity.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader