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Finding yourself is a deeply personal journey that each of us must navigate on our own.
That said, one of our greatest competitive advantages as humans is our ability to learn from the wisdom of those with more experience than us.
However unique your personal journey might be, you are not the first person to struggle with finding yourself. And while it’s true that no two journeys of self discovery are the same, there are aspects of the experience that all of us share.
To that end, we’ve pulled together the very best finding yourself quotes from some of history’s most renowned thinkers.
On Self Realization
Realizing who you really are is a crucial and transformational aspect of finding yourself. And there is an honesty to it that can feel quite vulnerable to many when they first experience it. Here are some inspirational quotes about self realization from famous thinkers who have done just that.
Here are some famous quotes about realizing who you are.
- “I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
- “One’s own self is well hidden from one’s own self; of all mines of treasure, one’s own is the last to be dug up.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
- “When you make the finding yourself – even if you’re the last person on Earth to see the light – you’ll never forget it.” — Carl Sagan
- “Men can starve from a lack of self-realization as much as they can from a lack of bread.” — Richard Wright
- “Shall we say the self, once perceived, becomes the soul?” — Theodore Roethke
On Getting Lost
Many people will tell you that you have to get lost before you find yourself. While at first it might sound counterintuitive, the truth is you can’t truly know your inner self without putting yourself into a situation that’s uncomfortable or challenging in some way. You have to step outside the box you’ve grown accustomed to in life, and in doing so, you’ll learn more about yourself than you ever could otherwise.
Here are some outstanding quotes about getting lost:
- “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” – Henry David Thoreau
- “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mohandas Gandhi
- “Sometimes when you lose your way, you find yourself.” — Mandy Hale
- “Finding oneself and one’s path is like waking up on a foggy day. Be patient, and presently the fog will clear and that which has always been there can be seen. The path is already there to follow.” — Rasheed Ogunlaru
- “You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.” — Jerry Gillies
- “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” — Henry David Thoreau
On Being Your Own Person
A huge part of knowing yourself is being yourself. But the pressure to confirm to norms and standards is strong in modern society.Though it can feel uncomfortable, it’s absolutely essential that you insist upon being your own person. After all, how can you know yourself when you’re always trying to be someone else?
Here are some of my favorite quotes about being your own person:
- “To find yourself, think for yourself.” — Socrates
- “Your real self may be hiding somewhere, look for it within, when you find yourself, you can freely be what you want to be.” — Michael Bassey Johnson
- “If you’re being ignored; that’s a good time to concentrate on finding yourself and creating your own mystery.” — Lykke Li
- “Be who you are and find yourself so you can be your own person and enjoy life with no regret.” — Bonnie Zackson Koury
- “Resolve to be thyself; and know that he who finds himself loses his misery.” — Matthew Arnold
On Knowing Yourself
It is said that to know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.
Once you find yourself, knowing yourself becomes the immediate priority. At first, you might find things that you don’t like and want to change, but before you can do that you must first learn to love the person you are. It’s only by accepting and appreciating who we are that we can decide to change.
Here are some great quotes about knowing yourself to inspire your success:
- “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.” — Lao Tzu
- “Find yourself first. Like yourself first. Love yourself first. Friendship and love will naturally find you in return.” — Mandy Hale
- “Somehow, we’ll find it. The balance between whom we wish to be and whom we need to be. But for now, we simply have to be satisfied with who we are.” — Brandon Sanderson
- “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” — Buddha
- “Know yourself. Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.” — Ann Landers
- “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle
- “A man who finds no satisfaction in himself will seek for it in vain elsewhere.” — a Rochefoucauld
- “One must know oneself. If this does not serve to discover truth, it at least serves as a rule of life and there is nothing better.” — Blaise Pascal
- “Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.” – Epictetus
- “You’ve got to know yourself so you can at least be yourself.” — D.H. Lawrence
Famous Quotes About Finding Yourself
Some of the greatest minds in history have weighed in on the process of self discovery. Who better to learn from than the greatest artists, statesmen, and industrialists in history?
Here are some of the best famous quotes about finding yourself:
- Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill
- “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.” — Benjamin Franklin
- “No matter if you think you can or you think you can’t… You’re right.” — Henry Ford
- “There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” — Aldous Huxley
- “Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” — Henry David Thoreau
- “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.” — Mark Twain
- “All this time I was finding myself and I didn’t know I was lost.” — Avicci
Inspirational Quotes About Finding Yourself
Self discovery is a process that takes time. It isn’t unusual to get discouraged at times as it can take longer than you necessarily want to reach the point that you anticipate or desire.
At times like this it’s important to have some motivation from others who have made this journey. Here are some inspirational quotes about finding yourself:
- “The greatest explorer on this earth never takes voyages as long as those of the man who descends to the depth of his heart.” — Julien Green
- “Don’t spend all of your time trying to find yourself. Spend your time creating yourself into a person that you’ll be proud of.” — Sonya Parker
