Regardless of where you’ve been, the story you’ve lived, or the path you’ve traveled, at some point you’ve probably dealt with body image issues, self-doubt, or comparison—this is human. It’s human to measure ourselves to others around us, human to feel inadequate at times, human to believe we are unworthy.

But the truth, we are so damn worthy. We are so damn unique. We are so damn beautiful.

Regardless of where you are on your self-love journey, these quotes are from real people sharing their real struggles (in books + interviews, etc.) Whether you’re in desperate need of encouragement, or just wanting to know you’re not alone, these body image quotes will inspire and empower you to keep going, and keep your focus on who you are, not what you look like.

1.

“Your body is the piece of the universe you’ve been given, the place where love and joy and grief happen, where happiness unfolds. Do you really want to keep believing that it’s a horrible, ugly, lumpy thing? Do you really want to keep punching yourself like that?”

—Geneen Roth, This Messy Magnificent Life

2.

“Worthiness does not have prerequisites.”

—Brené Brown, The Gift of Imperfection

3.

“I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and in the years to come.”

—Anna Quindlen, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake

4.

“Your self-esteem won’t come from body parts. You need to step away from the mirror every once in a while, and look for another reflection, like the one in the eyes of the people who love you and admire you.”

—Stacy London, quoted in I Love Myself

5.

“It’s a beautiful thing to have lungs that allow you to breathe air and legs that allow you to climb mountains, and it’s a shame that sometimes we don’t realize that that’s enough”

—Unknown

6.

“The only place that has stayed consistent, the only home I have been able to return to again and again, the only home that hasn’t left and is forever within me and to which I am inextricably tied—my body—this breathing, living shell. My body is my home. And I want to celebrate it.”

—Marisa Donnelly, “This Body Is My Home And I Will Celebrate It”

7.

“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.”

—Sophia Bush

8.

“What about defining yourself by a different kind of measurement? What about your heart, your soul, your compassion, your generosity, your strength, and your power? There are so many other things to focus on besides your waistline.”

—Mariska Hargitay

9.

“Stop worrying about whether you’re fat. You’re not fat. Or rather, you’re sometimes a little bit fat, but who gives a shit? There is nothing more boring and fruitless than a woman lamenting the fact her stomach is round. Feed yourself. Literally. The sort of people worthy of your love will love you more for this.”

—Cheryl Strayed, Tiny Beautiful Things

10.

“You are still you whether you are 190 or 90 pounds. Your soul still lives in the same fc*king house.”

—Michelle K., via Tumblr

11.

“This body is durable, has lasted for years, hunkered down through fierce storms and allows for the peaceful erosions of age. It is like a cottage on the shore: weathered and well made, a place where a person could comfortable live. I like it here. It is my own.”

—Marya Hornbacher, Wasted

12.

“Seeing, feeling, thinking, believing – these are the stages of how we change our style on the outside and our self-image on the inside.”

—Stacy London, quoted in I Love Myself

13.

“Many people still put beauty into a confining, narrow box…think outside of the box.”

—Tyra Banks

14.

“The fear is not of fat. The fear is of need, of hunger, of any desire, or life itself. The fear is of being human, and as such, imperfect, and as such, just mortal. Just a body, like everyone else. That is the key. We are human. That’s everything, and that is all.”

—Marya Hornbacher,Wasted

15.

“One day I decided that I was beautiful, and so I carried out my life as if I was a beautiful girl. I wear colors that I really like, I wear makeup that makes me feel pretty, and it really helps. It doesn’t have anything to do with how the world perceives you. What matters is what you see.”

—Gabourey Sidibe

16.

“I’ve learnt to appreciate my body, because it’s taken me all the way here and will take me to the end.”

—Clémentine Desseaux

17.

“Another person’s beauty is not the absence of your own.”

—Unknown

18.

“Most important, in order to find real happiness, you must learn to love yourself for the totality of who you are and not just what you look like.”

—Portia de Rossi, Unbearable Lightness

 

Featured Image Credit: Tiffany Combs

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