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101 Brené Brown Quotes On Courage, Vulnerability & Shame

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101 Brené Brown Quotes On Courage, Vulnerability & Shame

Looking for the best collection of Brené Brown quotes? Then look no further.

Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston. She has spent two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of the bestselling books The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness and Dare to Lead.

Brown hosts the Unlocking Us podcast, and her TED talk on The power of vulnerability is one of the top five most viewed TED talks.

She even has a Netflix special, her filmed lecture—Brené Brown: The Call to Courage, which debuted on Netflix in 2019.

The following Brené Brown quotes are her most inspirational on the topics of vulnerability, courage, bravery, love, belonging, self-worth, shame, authenticity, perfection and leadership. I hope her powerful words enable you to accept yourself and live your best life.

Inspirational Brené Brown Quotes

1. “If you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback.” – Brené Brown

2. “What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think – or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?” – Brené Brown

3. “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Brené Brown

4. “There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.” – Brené Brown

5. “Don’t try to win over the haters; you are not a jackass whisperer.” – Brené Brown

6. “Nothing has transformed my life more than realizing that it’s a waste of time to evaluate my worthiness by weighing the reaction of the people in the stands.” – Brené Brown

7. “What we know matters but who we are matters more.” – Brené Brown

8. “You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” – Brené Brown

9. “DIG deep–get deliberate, inspired, and going.” – Brené Brown

10. “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brené Brown

11. “When I see people stand fully in their truth, or when I see someone fall down, get back up, and say, ‘Damn. That really hurt, but this is important to me and I’m going in again’—my gut reaction is, ‘What a badass.’” – Brené Brown

12. “It’s not about ‘what can I accomplish?’ but ‘what do I want to accomplish?’ Paradigm shift.” – Brené Brown

13. “Somehow we’ve come to equate success with not needing anyone. Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we’re very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It’s as if we’ve divided the world into “those who offer help” and “those who need help.” The truth is that we are both.” – Brené Brown

14. “We don’t have to do all of it alone. We were never meant to.” – Brené Brown

15. “The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.” – Brené Brown

16. “Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.” – Brené Brown

17. “Be you. Be all in. Fall, rise, and try again.” – Brené Brown

18. “Empathy has no script. There is no right way or wrong way to do it. It’s simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of ‘You’re not alone.’” – Brené Brown

19. “If you can’t ask for help without self-judgment, you cannot offer help without judging others.” – Brené Brown

20. “Our job is not to deny the story, but to defy the ending—to rise strong, recognize our story, and rumble with the truth until we get to a place where we think, Yes. This is what happened. And I will choose how the story ends.” – Brené Brown

21. “Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary.” – Brené Brown

22. “We’re a nation hungry for more joy: Because we’re starving from a lack of gratitude.” – Brené Brown

23. “Love is beautiful when it’s professed, but it’s only meaningful when it’s practiced.” – Brené Brown

24. “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” – Brené Brown

25. “Judging has become such a part of our thinking patterns that we are rarely even aware of why and how we do it. It takes a great deal of conscious thinking or mindfulness to even bring the habit of judging into our awareness.” – Brené Brown

26. “We are born makers. We move what we’re learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands.” – Brené Brown

27. “Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; it’s choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.” – Brené Brown

28. “Regret is a tough but fair teacher. To live without regret is to believe you have nothing to learn, no amends to make, no opportunity to be braver with your life.” – Brené Brown

29. “Never underestimate the power of being seen.” – Brené Brown

30. “I carry a small sheet of paper in my wallet that has written on it the names of people whose opinions of me matter. To be on that list, you have to love me for my strengths and struggles.” – Brené Brown

31. “Social media has given us this idea that we should all have a posse of friends when in reality, if we have one or two really good friends, we are lucky.” – Brené Brown

32. “Until we can receive with an open heart, we are never really giving with an open heart.” – Brené Brown

33. “Compassion is not a virtue — it is a commitment. It’s not something we have or don’t have — it’s something we choose to practice.” – Brené Brown

34. “The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of our creativity.” – Brené Brown

35. “What would you be glad you did – even if you failed?” – Brené Brown

36. “Stay in your own lane. Comparison kills creativity and joy.” – Brené Brown

37. “The universe is not short on wake-up calls. We’re just quick to hit the snooze button.” – Brené Brown

Brené Brown Quotes On Vulerability

38. “Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome.” – Brené Brown

39. “Vulnerability is not knowing victory or defeat, it’s understanding the necessity of both; it’s engaging. It’s being all in.” – Brené Brown

40. “Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.” – Brené Brown

41. “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.” – Brené Brown

42. “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” – Brené Brown

43. “To love someone fiercely, to believe in something with your whole heart, to celebrate a fleeting moment in time, to fully engage in a life that doesn’t come with guarantees – these are risks that involve vulnerability and often pain. But, I’m learning that recognizing and leaning into the discomfort of vulnerability teaches us how to live with joy, gratitude and grace.” – Brené Brown

44. “Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.” – Brené Brown

45. “When I look at narcissism through the vulnerability lens, I see the shame-based fear of being ordinary. I see the fear of never feeling extraordinary enough to be noticed, to be lovable, to belong, or to cultivate a sense of purpose.” – Brené Brown

46. “To create is to make something that has never existed before. There’s nothing more vulnerable than that.” – Brené Brown

Brené Brown Quotes About Courage & Bravery

47. “I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” – Brené Brown

48. “Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” – Brené Brown

49. “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.” – Brené Brown

50. “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” – Brené Brown

51. “Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” – Brené Brown

52. “Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.” – Brené Brown

53. “Courage gives us a voice and compassion gives us an ear. Without both, there is no opportunity for empathy and connection.” – Brené Brown

54. “Courage is a heart word. The root of the word courage is cor—the Latin word for heart. In one of its earliest forms, the word courage meant ‘To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.’ Over time, this definition has changed, and today, we typically associate courage with heroic and brave deeds. But in my opinion, this definition fails to recognize the inner strength and level of commitment required for us to actually speak honestly and openly about who we are and about our experiences—good and bad. Speaking from our hearts is what I think of as ‘ordinary courage.'” – Brené Brown

55. “Courage is a heart word. Be brave. Love hard.” – Brené Brown

56. “I believe that what we regret most are our failures of courage, whether it’s the courage to be kinder, to show up, to say how we feel, to set boundaries, to be good to ourselves. For that reason, regret can be the birthplace of empathy.” – Brené Brown

57. “Courage is like—it’s a habitus, a habit, a virtue: You get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging.” – Brené Brown

58. “The willingness to show up changes us, It makes us a little braver each time.” – Brené Brown

59. “The only thing I know for sure after all of this research is that if you’re going to dare greatly, you’re going to get your ass kicked at some point. If you choose courage, you will absolutely know failure, disappointment, setback, even heartbreak. That’s why we call it courage. That’s why it’s so rare.” – Brené Brown

Brené Brown Quotes About Shame

60. “Shame is the most powerful, master emotion. It’s the fear that we’re not good enough.” – Brené Brown

61. “You cannot shame or belittle people into changing their behaviors.” – Brené Brown

62. “Nothing silences us more effectively than shame.” – Brené Brown

63. “Talk about your failures without apologizing.” – Brené Brown

64. “Shame and self-esteem are very different issues. We feel shame. We think self-esteem.” – Brené Brown

65. “If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive.” – Brené Brown

66. “Men walk this tightrope where any sign of weakness illicits shame, and so they’re afraid to make themselves vulnerable for fear of looking weak.” – Brené Brown

67. “We cannot grow when we are in shame, and we can’t use shame to change ourselves or others.” – Brené Brown

Quotes About Authenticity

68. “Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we’re supposed to be and embracing who we are.” – Brené Brown

69. “Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.” – Brené Brown

70. “If you trade your authenticity for safety, you may experience the following: anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment, and inexplicable grief.” – Brené Brown

Brené Brown Quotes About Perfectionism

71. “Perfectionism is a self destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimise the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame.” – Brené Brown

72. “Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.” – Brené Brown

73. “Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.” – Brené Brown

74. “Healthy striving is self-focused: ‘How can I improve?’ Perfectionism is other-focused: ‘What will they think?'” – Brené Brown

75. “Many people think of perfectionism as striving to be your best, but it is not about self-improvement; it’s about earning approval and acceptance.” – Brené Brown

76. “You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” – Brené Brown

77. “Perfectionism is self destructive simply because there’s no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal.” – Brené Brown

78. “Want to be happy? Stop trying to be perfect.” – Brené Brown

Quotes About Self-Worth & Belonging

79. “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” – Brené Brown

80. “When we work from a place, I believe, that says ‘I’m enough,’ then we stop screaming and start listening, we’re kinder and gentler to the people around us, and we’re kinder and gentler to ourselves.” – Brené Brown

81. “To love ourselves and support each other in the process of becoming real is perhaps the greatest single act of daring greatly.” – Brené Brown

82. “Just because someone isn’t willing or able to love us, it doesn’t mean that we are unlovable.” – Brené Brown

83. “When you get to a place where you understand that love and belonging, your worthiness, is a birthright and not something you have to earn, anything is possible.” – Brené Brown

84. “Worthiness doesn’t have prerequisites.” – Brené Brown

85. “Stop walking through the world looking for confirmation that you don’t belong. You will always find it because you’ve made that your mission. Stop scouring people’s faces for evidence that you’re not enough. You will always find it because you’ve made that your goal. True belonging and self-worth are not goods; we don’t negotiate their value with the world. The truth about who we are lives in our hearts. Our call to courage is to protect our wild heart against constant evaluation, especially your own. No one belongs here more than you.” – Brené Brown

86. “That impostor or phony feeling at work or school rarely has anything to do with our abilities but has more to do with that fearful voice inside of us that scolds and asks, ‘Who do you think you are?'” – Brené Brown

87. “True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” – Brené Brown

88. “The truth is: Belonging starts with self-acceptance. Your level of belonging, in fact, can never be greater than your level of self-acceptance, because believing that you’re enough is what gives you the courage to be authentic, vulnerable and imperfect.” – Brené Brown

89. “Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be; embrace who you are.” – Brené Brown

90. “The opposite of belonging is fitting in.” – Brené Brown

Brené Brown Quotes On Leadership

91. “Courage is contagious. A critical mass of brave leaders is the foundation of an intentionally courageous culture. Every time we are brave with our lives, we make the people around us a little braver and our organizations bolder and stronger.” – Brené Brown

92. “Daring leaders work to make sure people can be themselves and feel a sense of belonging.” – Brené Brown

93. “To me, a leader is someone who holds her- or himself accountable for finding potential in people and processes.” – Brené Brown

94. “Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behaviour.” – Brené Brown

95. “A brave leader is someone who says I see you. I hear you. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m going to keep listening and asking questions.” – Brené Brown

96. “Brave leaders are never silent around hard things.” – Brené Brown

97. “If you’re not willing to build a vulnerable culture, you can’t create.” – Brené Brown

98. “If you’re not willing to fail, you can’t innovate.” – Brené Brown

99. “Feeding people half-truths or bullshit to make them feel better (which is almost always about making ourselves feel more comfortable) is unkind.” – Brené Brown

100. “We desperately need more leaders who are committed to courageous, wholehearted leadership and who are self-aware enough to lead from their hearts, rather than unevolved leaders who lead from hurt and fear.” – Brené Brown

101. “Self-awareness and self-love matter. Who we are is how we lead.” – Brené Brown

Did you like these inspirational quotes?

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