We live in a society where putting others first earns you a badge of valor, but prioritizing yourself can lead to being labeled as egocentric and selfish.
It’s true that being altruistic can improve our happiness, but when we constantly prioritize other people’s needs over our own, we risk jeopardizing our health.
Furthermore, with the world still reeling from the pandemic, psychology experts emphasize the need for self-care more than ever.
We’re here to tell you that it is not selfish to focus on yourself.
Today, we are sharing with you a hand-selected collection of focus-on-yourself quotes to remind you that:
Finally, the only way you can make your greatest contribution to society is if you’re healthy and happy.
- “I am the only person in the world I should like to know thoroughly.” – Oscar Wilde
- “It’s not your job to like me…it’s mine!” – Byron Katie
- “Loving yourself isn’t vanity. It’s sanity.” – Andre Gide
- “It doesn't matter what others think. This is about YOU. Create a life that you genuinely love with your whole heart and start with yourself.” – Brittany Burgunder
- “Never underestimate the fact that loving others is a choice but loving yourself is a responsibility.” – Germany Kent
- “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
- “In the journey of finding love, I focus on having a great relationship with myself first.” – Angel Moreira
- “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.” – Clint Eastwood.
- “Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.” – Lao Tzu
- “Don’t focus on the competition; focus on ways to make yourself better.” – Hopal Green
- “Don’t waste your energy trying to change opinions…Do your thing, and don’t care if they like it.” – Tina Fey
- “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha
- “Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.” – Parker Palmer
“Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.” – Parker Palmer
- “The way you step up your game is not to worry about the other guy in any situation because you can’t control the other guy. You only have control over yourself. So it’s like running a race. The energy it takes to look back and see where the other guys are taking energy away from you. And if they’re too close, it scares you. So, that’s what I would say to my team all the time: Don’t waste your time in the race looking back to see where the other guy is or what the other guy is doing. It’s not about the other guy. It’s about what you can do. Run that race as hard as you can. It would be best if you gave it everything you’ve got, all the time, for yourself.” – Oprah
- “Friendship with oneself is all-important because without it, one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.” – Eleanor Roosevelt.
- “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” – Brené Brown
- “To be nobody but yourself in a world that’s trying its best to make you somebody else is to fight the hardest battle you will ever fight. Never stop fighting.” – E. E. Cummings
- “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” – Shannon L. Alder
- “Prove to the world that you are worth something by treating yourself with the utmost respect and hoping that others will follow your example. And even if they don’t, at least one person in the world is treating you well: you.” – Carrie Hope Fletcher
- “If you prioritize yourself, you are going to save yourself.” – Gabrielle Union
- “If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.” – Charles Bukowski
- “You have your own life, why waste it on focusing on others.” – Nitin Namdeo
- “Trust yourself. Create the kind of self you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into the flames of achievement.” – Author Unknown
- “Choose to put yourself first and make yourself a priority. It’s not selfish, it’s necessary.” – Keysha Jade
- “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
- “You have to be self-interested in order to be selfless. You have to put yourself first if you want to be of use to other people.” – Rachel Bartholomew
- “When it's about your life, it's time to be selfish.” – Dee Dee Artner
- “Looking after yourself is the greatest act of kindness you can give the world. Loving yourself first is the best way to spread love.” – Holly Bourne
“Looking after yourself is the greatest act of kindness you can give the world. Loving yourself first is the best way to spread love.” – Holly Bourne
- “It is so important to take time for yourself and find clarity. The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself.” – Diane Von Furstenberg
- “This life is mine alone. So I have stopped asking people for directions to places they've never been.” – Glennon Doyle
- “Focus on yourself. Some people just don't deserve to have you in their life and there's nothing you can do to bring them back to reality.” – Author Unknown
- “When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.” – Jean Shinoda Bolen
- “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” – M. Scott Peck
- “Find yourself first, like yourself first, love yourself first, and friendship and love will naturally find you.” – Mandy Hale
- “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Anne Lamott
- “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” – Mark Twain
- “Whenever you feel compelled to put others first at the expense of yourself, you are denying your own reality, your own identity.” – David Stafford
- “Why should we worry about what others think of us? Do we have more confidence in their opinions than we do our own?” – Brigham Young
- “Always choose yourself first. Women are very socialized when choosing other people. If you put yourself first, it’s this incredible path you can forge for yourself.” – Rebecca Traister
- “You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise L. Hay
- “A healthy self-love means we have no compulsion to justify to ourselves or others why we take vacations, why we sleep late, why we buy new shoes, why we spoil ourselves occasionally. We feel comfortable doing things which add quality and beauty to life.” – Andrew Matthews
Final Thoughts
There you have it: 41 focus on yourself quotes to remind you that it is also heroic to step back from the busy-ness of taking care of other people’s needs and focus on your own.
We hope you’ll be inspired to practice better habits that encourage self-care.
While we’re on this topic, you might want to check out some of these related posts, too:
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what's truly important to you..
