A Quote by Sylvia Plath

I must not be selfless: develop a sense of self. A solidness that can't be attacked.

Sylvia Plath

Quote Topics

Attacked Develop Must Self Selfless Sense Sense Of Self

Quote Author

Sylvia Plath
American - Novelist
October 27, 1932 - February 11, 1963

There is no doubt that in exchanging a self-centered for a selfless life we gain enormously in self-esteem. The vanity of the selfless, even those who practice utmost humility, is boundless.

Eric Hoffer

A democrat must be utterly selfless. He must think and dream not in terms of self or of party, but only of democracy.

Mahatma Gandhi

Perhaps the most important vision of all is develop a sense of self, a sense of your own destiny, a sense of unique mission and role in life.

Stephen Covey

Men must attempt to develop in themselves and their children liberation from the sense of self. Men must be free from boundaries, patterns and consistencies in order to be free to think, feel and create in new ways.

Luke Rhinehart

I suppose everyone continues to be interested in the quest for the self, but what you feel when you're older, I think, is that ... you really must make the self. It is absolutely useless to look for it, you won't find it, but it's possible in some sense to make it. I don't mean in the sense of making a mask, a Yeatsian mask. But you finally begin in some sense to make and choose the self you want.

Mary McCarthy

When no one is selfless in a relationship, there is war. When one is selfless, there is peace. When both are selfless, there is joy.

Royce White

There is in even the most selfish passion a large element of self-abnegation. It is startling to realize that what we call extreme self-seeking is actually self-renunciation. The miser, health addict, glory chaser and their like are not far behind the selfless in the exercise of self-sacrifice.

Eric Hoffer

When we protect children from every possible source of danger, we also prevent them from having the kinds of experiences that develop their sense of self-reliance, their ability to assess and mitigate risk, and their sense of accomplishment.

Gever Tulley

Perform anonymous service. Whenever we do good for others anonymously, our sense of intrinsic worth and self-respect increases. ... Selfless service has always been one of the most powerful methods of influence.

Stephen Covey

In self-giving you must be so careful of egotism. You must be so careful when you are aiding others in their liberation not to have a sense of self.

Frederick Lenz

We must remain in love and develop in love; that must be the compelling force in our lives. It is possible to love everyone. When you sense you lack love, you must quite simply pray.

Esther Smith

The burning conviction that we have a holy duty towards others is often a way of attaching our drowning selves to a passing raft. What looks like a giving hand is often a holding on for dear life. Take away our holy duties and you leave our lives puny and meaningless. There is no doubt that in exchanging a self-centered for a selfless life we gain enormously in self-esteem. The vanity of the selfless, even those who practice utmost humility, is boundless.

Eric Hoffer

We go into a relationship looking for love, not realizing that we must bring love with us. We must bring a strong sense of self and purpose into a relationship. We must bring a sense of value, of who we are. We must bring an excitement about ourselves, our lives, and the vision we have for these two essential elements. We must bring a respect for wealth and abundance. Having achieved it to some satisfactory degree on our own, we must move into relationships willing to share what we have, rather than being afraid of someone taking it.

Iyanla Vanzant

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.

Nathaniel Branden

As we have seen, the first public expression of disenchantment with nonviolence arose around the question of 'self-defense.' In a sense this is a false issue, for the right to defend one's home and one's person when attacked has been guaranteed through the ages by common law.