59 Be Yourself Quotes

In a world that often pressures us to conform and fit in, the value of embracing our true selves cannot be overstated. Whether you are seeking the courage to be authentic in your daily life or simply looking for some inspiration, these quotes about being yourself offer timeless wisdom and encouragement. In the following collection, you’ll find powerful words from renowned thinkers, artists, and leaders, each reminding us of the beauty and strength found in authenticity. Join us as we explore these top 59 Be Yourself quotes that celebrate individuality and self-expression.

1. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. “Do your own thing on your own terms and get what you came here for” - Oliver James

3. “Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” - Judy Garland

4. “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” - Marilyn Monroe

5. “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself.” - Harvey Fierstein

6. “The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position.” - Leo Buscaglia

7. “Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love.” - Rumi

8. “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” - Martha Graham

9. “Decide what you want to be....Pay the Price ...And be what you want to be.” - John A. Widtsoe

10. “About all you can do in life is be who you are. Some people will love you for you. Most will love you for what you can do for them, and some won't like you at all.” - Rita Mae Brown

11. “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love – for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you from misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.” - Max Ehrmann

12. “You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be.” - Wayne W. Dyer

13. “If you end up with a boring miserable life because you listened to your mom, your dad, your teacher, your priest, or some guy on television telling you how to do your shit, then you deserve it.” - Frank Zappa

14. “Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got.” - Janis Joplin

15. “The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.” - Lao Tzu

16. “Every morning when I wake up, I experience an exquisite joy —the joy of being Salvador Dalí— and I ask myself in rapture: What wonderful things is this Salvador Dalí going to accomplish today?” - Salvador Dali

17. “Be yourself, don't take anything from anyone, and never let them take you alive.” - Gerard Way

18. “We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.” - Virginia Satir

19. “Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness.” - Allen Ginsberg

20. “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself-and especially to feel, or not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at any moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is.” - Jim Morrison

21. “Keep thinking back about what Mum said about being real and the Velveteen Rabbit book (though frankly have had enough trouble with rabbits in this particular house). My favorite book, she claims of which I have no memory was about how little kids get one toy that they love more than all the others, and even when its fur has been rubbed off, and it's gone saggy with bits missing, the little child still thinks it's the most beautiful toy in the world, and can't bear to be parted from it.That's how it works, when people really love each other, Mum whispered on the way out in the Debenhams lift, as if she was confessing some hideous and embarrassing secret. But, the thing is, darling, it doesn't happen to ones who have sharp edges, or break if they get dropped, or ones made of silly synthetic stuff that doesn't last. You have to be brave and let the other person know who you are and what you feel.” - Helen Fielding

22. “Before you can be anything, you have to be yourself. That's the hardest thing to find.” - E.L. Konigsburg

23. “You cannot change what you are, only what you do.” - Philip Pullman

24. “Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.” - John Jakes

25. “To be one's self, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity.” - Irving Wallace

26. “Oh, never mind the fashion. When one has a style of one's own, it is always twenty times better.” - Margaret Oliphant

27. “Don't you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can't be exactly who you are.” - Lady Gaga

28. “I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will so trust that what is deep is holy, that I will do strongly before the sun and moon whatever only rejoices me, and the heart appoints” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

29. “One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility” - Eleanor Roosevelt

30. “What you say and how you look does not define who you are,because some of the most beautiful people do the ugliest things.You owe it to the people who hate you, who disrespect you and who put you down,because they’re the ones who have made you who you are today,for keeping your head up and not breaking down when they want you to.” - Amber Ward

31. “You can't be yourself within jealousy.” - Toba Beta

32. “The more you try to crush your true nature, the more it will control you. Be what you are. No one who really loves you will stop.” - Cassandra Clare

33. “My best advice is to be yourself. Unless you’re psychotic, then you might want to try a different tactic.” - Gwen Hayes

34. “Don't wish to be normal. Wish to be yourself. To the hilt. Find out what you're best at, and develop it, and hopscotch your weaknesses. Wish to be great at whatever you are.” - Lois McMaster Bujold

35. “There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty.” - Steve Maraboli

36. “The mirror is the worst judge of true beauty” - Sophia Nam

37. “A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” - Coco Chanel

38. “Imitation is suicide.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

39. “If you think you’re good people, and if you are, how would you know? Is it something you always knew? Or was it something you found? Some people are naturally good at it […]. Is it worth trying to be something you’re not? Just because it’s right?” - Jen Wang

40. “...it’s just another one of those things I don’t understand: everyone impresses upon you how unique you are, encouraging you to cultivate your individuality while at the same time trying to squish you and everyone else into the same ridiculous mould. It’s an artist’s right to rebel against the world’s stupidity.” - E.A. Bucchianeri

41. “You have a unique gift to offer this world. Be true to yourself, be kind to yourself, read and learn about everything that interests you and keep away from people who bring you down. When you treat yourself kindly and respect the uniqueness of those around you, you will be giving this world an amazing gift... YOU!” - Steve Maraboli

42. “Always listen to yourself... It is better to be wrong than simply to follow convention.” - Bryce Courtenay

43. “Menjadi diri sendiri jauh lebih mudah ketimbang menjadi diri orang lain” - Mega Elisa

44. “It's simple; be YOU. If you're not being you, you're being someone else. YOU are not here to be someone else.” - Steve Maraboli

45. “I believe that half the trouble in the world comes from people asking 'What have I achieved?' rather than 'What have I enjoyed?' I've been writing about a subject I love as long as I can remember--horses and the people associated with them, anyplace, anywhere, anytime. I couldn't be happier knowing that young people are reading my books. But even more important to me is that I've enjoyed so much the writing of them.” - Walter Farley

46. “Stop living within the confines of how others define you! You weren't created to live their life; you were created to live yours - so LIVE it! You can reignite that fire within and bring the passion back into your goals, dreams, ambitions, careers, and relationships by reclaiming control of your own life. Be unapologetically YOU!” - Steve Maraboli

47. “How many more of us are faking the facade? How many more of us are pretending to be something we're not? Even better, how many of us will have the courage to be ourselves regardless of what others think?” - Katie McGarry

48. “Life is simple, just be yourself.” - E'yen A. Gardner

49. “Just remember to always be yourself and don’t be afraid to speak your mind or to dream out loud” - J.A. Redmerski

50. “It doesn't matter if you're 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100. Embrace your sexy-ass self and express it!” - Steve Maraboli

51. “But then Macon smiled at me. "Just be yourself, Foster. That's the best thing in the world.” - Joan Bauer

52. “We live in a world full of people who are satisfied with pretending to be someone they are not.” - Tommy Tran

53. “Don't let other people's opinions distort your reality. Be true to yourself. Be bold in pursuing your dreams. Be unapologetically you!” - Steve Maraboli

54. “The less you look to others,the more you find in yourself.What have you found in yourself.” - Ron W. Rathbun

55. “Trust is learning how you feel about yourself,not how others feel about you.Do you trust how you feel.If not, why.” - Ron W. Rathbun

56. “Well, to tell you the truth, I've thought of it often and often before, but he's such devilish good company is Huntingdon, after all - you can't imagine what a jovial good fellow he is when he's not fairly drunk, only just primed or half-seas-over - we all have a bit of a liking for him at the bottom of our hearts, though we can't respect him.''But should you wish yourself to be like him?''No, I'd rather be like myself, bad as I am.” - Anne Brontë

57. “All I wanted was to live a life where I could be me, and be okay with that. I had no need for material possessions, money or even close friends with me on my journey. I never understood people very well anyway, and they never seemed to understand me very well either. All I wanted was my art and the chance to be the creator of my own world, my own reality. I wanted the open road and new beginnings every day.” - Charlotte Eriksson

58. “Everything just feels so empty without her. She was more a parent to me than my birth parents were. She took me in, fed, dressed me, but most importantly, she treated me with respect. She taught me that my abilities were nothing to be ashamed of, nothing I should try so hard to deny. She convinced me that what I had was a gift-not a curse- and that I shouldn't let other people's narrow minds and fears determine how I love, what I do, or how I perceive myself in the world. She actually made me believe that in no way, shape, or form did their uninformed opinions make me a freak.” - Alyson Noel

59. “There's a way, a way way too long but reachable, not for everyone a way but possible... Go and don't lose your way!” - Rossana Condoleo