“The best way to achieve self-esteem is to do something worthy of esteem.”

“Les autres nous inspirent, l'information nous nourrit, la pratique améliore nos compétences, mais nous avons besoin d'être seul pour réfléchir, faire surgir de nouvelles idées et trouver des réponses originales.”

“Others inspire us, information feeds us, practice improves our performance, but we need quiet time to figure things out, to emerge with new discoveries, to unearth original answers.”

“Rather than be encouraged to learn about ourselves and our interests, we are more often taught how to make decisions about what to do with our lives as early as possible so we won't waste time achieving our goals. Pick an academic major, choose a career, and start a family. Whether our interests are squelched isn't important. What's important is to "make something of yourself," "be able to support yourself," and "realize that life is more than just having fun.”

“I think high self-esteem is overrated. A little low self-esteem is actually quite good…Maybe you're not the best, so you should work a little harder. ”

“That's the point of working with one's hands, you see. It gives the mind something else to do besides worry.”

“Our own self-esteem is something we can actually twist in whatever way we want.”