Shame And Guilt Quotes

• The distinction between shame and guilt is very important, since these two emotions may tear a person in opposite directions. The wish to relieve guilt may motivate a confession, but the wish to avoid the humiliation of shame may prevent it.

  Paul Ekman

  Opposites, Two, Wish

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• Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind.

  William Shakespeare

  Lying, Memorable, Mind

  'Henry VI, Part 3' (1592) act 5, sc. 6, l. 11

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• Guilt is just as powerful, but its influence is positive, while shame's is destructive. Shame erodes our courage and fuels disengagement.

  Brené Brown

  Powerful, Guilt, Fuel

  "Brené Brown: 'People are sick of being afraid all the time'" by John-Paul Flintoff, www.theguardian.com. July 27, 2013.

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• We feel guilty for what we do. We feel shame for what we are.

  Lewis B. Smedes

  Shame, Guilty, Feels

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• I believe one of our souls' major purposes is to know, love, and express our authentic selves. To live the life and be the person we were created to be. However, our true selves only emerge when it's safe to do so. Self-condemnation, shame, and guilt send your true nature into hiding. It's only in the safety of gentle curiosity, encouragement, and self-love that your soul can bloom as it was created to do.

  Sue Thoele

  Encouragement, Believe, Live Life

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• Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.

  Benjamin Franklin

  Wise, 4th Of July, Anger

  Benjamin Franklin (2008). “The Way to Wealth and Poor Richard's Almanac”, p.36, Nayika Publishing

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• Guilt has very quick ears to an accusation.

  Henry Fielding

  Guilt, Ears, Shame

  Henry Fielding (1832). “The History of Amelia”, p.150

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• We live in a society where we're not taught how to deal with our weaknesses and frailties as human beings. We're not taught how to speak to our difficulties and challenges. We're taught the Pythagorean theorem and chemistry and biology and history. We're not taught anger management. We're not taught dissolution of fear and how to process shame and guilt. I've never in my life ever used the Pythagorean theorem!

  Iyanla Vanzant

  Pythagorean Theorem, Challenges, Guilt

  "Iyanla Vanzant interview for fourth season of ‘Iyanla: Fix My Life’ returning Sept. 6". Interview with Rodney Ho, radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com. September 6, 2014.

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• The guilty think all talk is of themselves.

  Geoffrey Chaucer

  Thinking, Guilt, Shame

  Geoffrey Chaucer (1966). “The Canterbury Tales”

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• I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.

  Jonathan Swift

  Men, Evil, Guilt

  Jonathan Swift (1850). “The Works of Jonathan Swift: Containing Interesting and Valuable Papers, Not Hitherto Published ; with a Memoir of the Author”, p.307

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• Glory, built on selfish principles, is shame and guilt.

  William Cowper

  Inspirational, Selfish, War

  William Cowper (1845). “The Poetical Works of William Cowper”, p.1

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• Work on psychological blocks like shame and guilt - they falsely color your reality.

  Deepak Chopra

  Block, Reality, Color

  Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D., Deepak Chopra (2012). “Super Brain: Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, andSpiritual Well-Being”, p.54, Harmony

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• Shame and guilt are noble emotions essential in the maintenance of civilized society, and vital for the development of some of the most refined and elegant qualities of human potential.

  Willard Gaylin

  Quality, Guilt, Essentials

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• It is more dangerous that even a guilty person should be punished without the forms of law than that he should escape.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Law, Guilt, President

  Thomas Jefferson, Henry Augustine Washington (1853). “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence, cont”, p.399

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• If you don't enjoy your life, sorrow, sadness, suffering, fear, shame and guilt will.

  Iyanla Vanzant

  Sadness, Suffering, Sorrow

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• Nothing more unqualified the man to act with prudence than a misfortune that is attended with shame and guilt.

  Jonathan Swift

  Men, Guilt, Unqualified

  Jonathan Swift (1752). “The works of D. Jonathan Swift ...: To which is prefixed, the doctor's life, with remarks on his writings, from the Earl of Orrery and others, not to be found in any former edition of his works.Dublin printed”, p.281

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• A minister of state is excusable for the harm he does when the helm of government has forced his hand in a storm; but in the calm he is guilty of all the good he does not do.

  Voltaire

  Funny, Life, Failure

  "Le Siecle de Louis XIV (The Age of Louis XIV)". Book by Voltaire (Chapter VI), 1751.

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• Despite their differences, pride, shame, and guilt all activate similar neural circuits, including the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, insula, and the nucleus accumbens. Interestingly, pride is the most powerful of these emotions at triggering activity in these regions - except in the nucleus accumbens, where guilt and shame win out. This explains why it can be so appealing to heap guilt and shame on ourselves - they're activating the brain's reward center.

  David D. Burns

  Powerful, Pride, Winning

  Source: time.com

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• never feel guilty about anything shame and guilt are a waste of time just do what you do-- and deal with it

  Kevin Brooks

  Guilt, Waste, Wasting Time

  Kevin Brooks (2010). “The Road of the Dead”, p.285, Scholastic Inc.

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• There are so many more productive things to do than sit around feeling shame and guilt. Beyond touching on shame and guilt in a perfunctory manner, I wouldn't bother with that at all.

  Antony Hegarty

  Touching, Feelings, Guilt

  Source: thequietus.com

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• Being natural and matter-of-fact about nudity prevents your children from developing an attitude of shame and guilt about the human body.

  Lee Salk

  Attitude, Children, Guilt

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• What should our second generation have done, what should it do with the knowledge of the horrors of the extermination of the Jews? We should not believe we can comprehend the incomprehensible, we may not compare the incomparable, we may not inquire because to inquire is to make the horrors an object of discussion, even if the horrors themselves are not questioned, instead of accepting them as something in the face of which we can only fall silent in revulsion, shame and guilt. Should we only fall silent in revulsion, shame and guilt? To what purpose?

  Bernhard Schlink

  Believe, Fall, Guilt

  Bernhard Schlink (2001). “The Reader”, p.104, Vintage

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• That's part of what I touch on in my [UN] speech - when assaults happen on women and girls in these fragile countries, in these places of crisis, there isn't the psychosocial support. There aren't counseling services. It's not in a lot of cultures to explicitly talk about things that maybe have happened to the body. So, repression of emotion, and shame, and guilt is something that really needs to be handled in humanitarian crises.

  Natalie Dormer

  Girl, Country, Support

  Source: www.elle.com

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